- November 26, 2024
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Wayne Odesnik defeated Nicola Ghedin Sunday, Feb. 6, in two straight sets.
As the sun peeked through the cloudy sky and poured onto the clay courts the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 6, at the Palm Coast Tennis Center, Wayne Odesnik offered a gleam of brightness, too.
“I feel like I’m on ‘Happy Gilmore,’” Odesnik joked as he was handed a giant check and recognized before a crowd of hundreds.
Odesnik, known for his intensity, unveiled a smile as he was awarded a $10,000 check after claiming top honors in the second-annual USTA Men’s Palm Coast Futures tournament, defeating Italian player Nicola Ghedin in two straight sets, 6-2 and 6-1.
Odesnik, who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but plays as an American, made it through four grueling days of qualifying, dropping only one set.
Then, in the main draw, Odesnik dismantled the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Gregory Ouellette, in two straight sets, 6-3 and 6-0 en route to the finals.
His foe, Ghedin, also made quick work of most of his opponents. Ghedin faced off against his coach, eighth-seeded Razvan Sabau, in the semifinals, to earn a spot in the championship.
Odesnik, a 25-year-old lefthander, was in Palm Coast as a stop on his comeback trail, and he came roaring through with grit and a dominant two-handed backhand.
“It’s the first time I’ve come through qualifying and won a tournament,” Odesnik said. “It’s a stepping stone to where I need to get to, but hopefully I’ll take the confidence and keep going from here.”
Odesnik was suspended by the International Tennis Federation in 2009 after being found with human growth hormone in his baggage upon arriving in Australia to play in the Brisbane International, a warm-up event for the Australian Open.
The suspension could have been up to two years, but Odesnik was back in action for the second time over the weekend after just one year. In his first tournament back, Odes-nik lost in the quarterfinals last month in another futures tournament in Plantation.
Odesnik has been ranked as high as No. 77 on the ATP World Tour, but was stripped of his tour points and ranking in December 2009 because of the suspension.
But Odesnik is back, and after his win Sunday, he said he won’t take it for granted. After the match, he recognized Ghedin for a tough match and thanked the fans for their support.
Odesnik hopes to eventually make his way back into the top 100 and be able to compete in the high-profile tournaments.
“I’ve had a very good time away from the game to heal,” Odesnik said. “ … Coming out here today, feeling the nervousness, I feel just the difficult times that I’ve been through, I look at things a lot differently now. Just being out here on a beautiful day being able to do what I love, those things in difficult moments is what I appreciate now, and I think that’s what’s going to help me succeed in the future.”
