U of Texas student hoping for points at Challenger
Cleeve Harper isn’t “just happy to be here” in the way we all typically use that phrase.
But he’s definitely really happy to be in Calgary this week at the National Bank Challenger.
Getting to take a break from his studies at the University of Texas would probably be nice enough, but Harper is also getting an unexpected chance to compete against players whose names can be found much, much higher than him in the world rankings.
That’s the type of opportunity every young tennis player dreams about.
“I asked for a wild card from Tennis Canada and I wasn’t actually expecting to get one,” said Harper, who was the top-ranked junior player in Alberta before heading to UT’S Austin campus in 2018. “Then, a few days ago, (national team head coach) Martin Larendeau contacted me letting me know I got one if I wanted to accept it and, I mean, yeah, I did. It’s a great opportunity. This is my first time playing a Challenger, so just looking forward to it and trying to have as much fun as I can.”
Harper has played in a couple ATP Futures events before, but has never competed in an event on the ATP Challenger tour, which is generally seen as the stepping stone to the main ATP Tour and largely features players who are expected to be competing in the world’s most high-profile tournaments very soon.
For those players, picking up points and moving up the rankings is the priority. It’s what makes tournaments like this weekend’s big event in Calgary so appealing even for big names like Canadian Vasek Pospisil, who is trying to move up the rankings quickly after an injury kept him out most of last year.
That’s true for someone like Harper, too. He may be committed to playing at Texas — one of the top collegiate programs in the U.S. — for the next couple of years, but he could have a long professional career ahead of him.
So the points up for grabs this week matter.
Harper is one of two Calgarians competing this week in their hometown, although the other, Josh Peck, fell in straight sets (6-1, 6-4) on Monday afternoon to American Nick Chappel.
Harper will kick off his tournament on Tuesday when he faces Matias Franco Descotte of Argentina, who is ranked No. 405 in the world right now but was as high as No. 252 as recently as late-august.
Harper doesn’t have the same professional resume as Descotte, but he also hasn’t had the chance to prove himself at this level. He’s coming off an impressive run at the National Men’s Team Indoor Championship a couple weeks ago that saw him go 6-0, so he’s on a hot streak.
He’ll be the underdog, but that’s OK. A couple weeks ago, it seemed like a longshot that he’d even get the chance to compete in Calgary.
“They’re all going to be unbelievable players, so it’s definitely going to be tough, I’m just looking forward to it and having as much fun as possible,” Harper said. “I usually play Futures and I’ve got a couple ATP points so far, but if I get a chance to win a match here, even just one, that would get me so far.”