Sunday, July 14, 2002
Dektas in a familiar place
No. 8 seed back in Met's round of 16
By Dave Schutte
Enquirer contributor
![[img]](http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/07/14/ten_150x200.jpg)
Matt Dektas sends one back to Tim Geraci Jr. during action Saturday.
(Tony Jones photo)
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Five Seasons Country Club head professional Craig Boynton gave Matt Dektas one piece of advice going into the Thomas E. Price Metropolitan Tournament:
“Be a fighter before a player.”
Dektas, a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati Law School, has adopted this approach, recording consecutive victories, including Saturday's 6-1, 6-0 triumph over Tim Geraci Jr. at Lunken Playfield.
The victory puts the eighth-seeded Dektas into the round of 16 for the fourth consecutive year. He meets Marshall Kuresman at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“What Craig meant was to go out and let people know I'm ready to play as long as needed,” Dektas said. “I'm also playing a lot smarter than past years and making better decisions on shots.”
Blessed with an outstanding serve, Dektas displayed the quickness, speed, ground strokes and net play necessary to make a run at the championship.
3 “It will be a mental thing for me Tuesday when I play Kuresman,” Dektas said. “I'll have to be focused to win.”
After graduating from St. Xavier High School in 1995, Dektas played college tennis at the University of Jacksonville, graduating in 1999. He entered UC's law school and graduated in May.
Dektas heads Five Seasons' junior programs.
He also is entered in the doubles competition with his brother Mike. They are seeded No. 2 behind defending champions Jeff Wolf and Dan Kronauge.
BIG DEBUT: UC senior Jennifer Capuzzi's first appearance in the Met proved to be a success.
A top singles and doubles player for the Bearcats, Capuzzi registered a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Pam Wise to advance to the round of 16.
“I normally go home to Philadelphia during the summer, but I stayed in Cincinnati this year to take some classes,” Capuzzi said. “My coach (UC's Carol Tanner) and friend Alan Aure encouraged me to play in the Met.”
Besides attending classes, Capuzzi also picked up a tennis teaching position during the summer at Amberley Swim & Tennis Club, where she prepared for the tournament.
“Naturally, I'd like to win it,” Capuzzi said. “But I haven't played in a tournament for a long time (April) and on clay since I was a junior.”
Capuzzi prefers playing on the hard surface and experienced some difficulty playing on clay, which neutralizes her big serve, forcing her to play long points against the tenacious Wise.
Capuzzi next plays UC teammate Lyndsey Molony, the No. 3 seed, Tuesday at Lunken Playfield.
“Lyndsey will probably be good on clay, and it will be a mental match.”
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![[img]](http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/07/14/ten_zoom.jpg)
Dektas in a familiar place
