Completed Event: Men's Tennis versus Baylor on April 16, 2026 , Loss , 1, to, 4
Final Score
Men's Tennis
1
vs Baylor
4
The University of Utah Athletics
Behind the Baseline: Rian Ta
10/1/2019 10:04 AM | Men's Tennis
When did you start playing tennis and why?
 "I started playing tennis when I was around the age of seven years old. I got into it because my dad picked it up as a hobby and he wanted me to try it with him too. After that, everything took off and brought me to where I am today."
Â
Were there any other sports that you played growing up?
"I played soccer right before I started playing tennis. After I found tennis though, that was the main sport that I focused on."
Â
What was your time at Mission San Jose HS like while you played tennis? You were ranked No. 2 in Northern California in doubles play and were one of the top juniors in USTA NorCal section.
"Playing at Mission San Jose was super tough. We weren't a school that was known for sports. It was an academic school, one of the best academic high schools in the bay area. This made it tough to balance tennis with academics because I was always so busy with school. During high school, I competed in a lot of tournaments and was able to travel all across the country. This helped me develop as a tennis player and helped me improve a lot."
Â
When did you decide that tennis was a sport that you wanted to purse a collegiate career in?
"Around the age of 12 or 13 it crossed my mind that it would be really cool to play tennis in college. When I decided that I wanted to go to college for tennis, I worked hard every day and trained to reach that goal."
You were sidelined from tennis for almost four months with a traumatic brain injury. How did you get injured?
"In the summer of 2017, I was training for the Clay Court Championships and the Kalamazoo tournament. I was on the court doing a fitness drill and back-peddling, then I tripped and fell back, hitting my head really hard on the court. I had a seizure and then was in the ICU for two weeks, with bed rest for one week. I had to pull out of all the tournaments that I was training for. I was playing the best tennis of my life before that and it was super hard to bounce back. It definitely hurt my confidence because my body didn't respond well after not being able to play tennis for four months."
What is one of your best tennis-related memories that you have?
"Being able to bounce back the year after my injury and being able to compete in the tournaments that I had to withdraw from due to my injury. I didn't do as well as I wanted to, but overall it was a great experience being able to play in those tournaments after everything I had gone through."
Â
Why did you decide to come to the University of Utah? What stuck out about the U that made you choose coming here over other schools?
"The University of Utah was such a big sports school in general and I liked the atmosphere of a competitive athletics school in the Pac-12. What also made me come here were the tennis facilities and coaching staff. Other schools that were interested in me just didn't compare."
Â
What has been the biggest adjustment of your freshman year so far, coming from California to Utah?
"The fact that I am completely on my own now. I don't have my parents here to tell me what to do and make sure I'm on top of school and tennis. I'm in charge of my own life, and how well I do in school and in tennis is completely on me."
Â
What are you most excited about with playing tennis at the U and in the Pac-12 conference?
"I'm excited about being able to train with my teammates. They are all at such a high level and playing with them is going to make me a lot better. Pac-12 tennis is also so competitive and it's going to take me to the next level of my tennis playing abilities."
Â
When you aren't playing tennis, what are your favorite hobbies or things to do in your free time?
"When I'm not playing tennis, I really like to just relax and hangout. I also like being able to go out and do stuff with the team. They're a great group to hang out with."
Â
 "I started playing tennis when I was around the age of seven years old. I got into it because my dad picked it up as a hobby and he wanted me to try it with him too. After that, everything took off and brought me to where I am today."
Â
Were there any other sports that you played growing up?
"I played soccer right before I started playing tennis. After I found tennis though, that was the main sport that I focused on."
Â
What was your time at Mission San Jose HS like while you played tennis? You were ranked No. 2 in Northern California in doubles play and were one of the top juniors in USTA NorCal section.
"Playing at Mission San Jose was super tough. We weren't a school that was known for sports. It was an academic school, one of the best academic high schools in the bay area. This made it tough to balance tennis with academics because I was always so busy with school. During high school, I competed in a lot of tournaments and was able to travel all across the country. This helped me develop as a tennis player and helped me improve a lot."
Â
When did you decide that tennis was a sport that you wanted to purse a collegiate career in?
"Around the age of 12 or 13 it crossed my mind that it would be really cool to play tennis in college. When I decided that I wanted to go to college for tennis, I worked hard every day and trained to reach that goal."
You were sidelined from tennis for almost four months with a traumatic brain injury. How did you get injured?
"In the summer of 2017, I was training for the Clay Court Championships and the Kalamazoo tournament. I was on the court doing a fitness drill and back-peddling, then I tripped and fell back, hitting my head really hard on the court. I had a seizure and then was in the ICU for two weeks, with bed rest for one week. I had to pull out of all the tournaments that I was training for. I was playing the best tennis of my life before that and it was super hard to bounce back. It definitely hurt my confidence because my body didn't respond well after not being able to play tennis for four months."
What is one of your best tennis-related memories that you have?
"Being able to bounce back the year after my injury and being able to compete in the tournaments that I had to withdraw from due to my injury. I didn't do as well as I wanted to, but overall it was a great experience being able to play in those tournaments after everything I had gone through."
Â
Why did you decide to come to the University of Utah? What stuck out about the U that made you choose coming here over other schools?
"The University of Utah was such a big sports school in general and I liked the atmosphere of a competitive athletics school in the Pac-12. What also made me come here were the tennis facilities and coaching staff. Other schools that were interested in me just didn't compare."
Â
What has been the biggest adjustment of your freshman year so far, coming from California to Utah?
"The fact that I am completely on my own now. I don't have my parents here to tell me what to do and make sure I'm on top of school and tennis. I'm in charge of my own life, and how well I do in school and in tennis is completely on me."
Â
What are you most excited about with playing tennis at the U and in the Pac-12 conference?
"I'm excited about being able to train with my teammates. They are all at such a high level and playing with them is going to make me a lot better. Pac-12 tennis is also so competitive and it's going to take me to the next level of my tennis playing abilities."
Â
When you aren't playing tennis, what are your favorite hobbies or things to do in your free time?
"When I'm not playing tennis, I really like to just relax and hangout. I also like being able to go out and do stuff with the team. They're a great group to hang out with."
Â
Utah Men's Tennis 2025-26 Pronunciations
Wednesday, September 10
Role models. Trailblazers. Legends. Celebrating our #AAPI student-athletes this month and always.
Monday, May 20
2019 Men's Tennis NCAA Tournament Press Conference
Tuesday, May 14
Utah Takes on #1 USC Friday, April 6
Wednesday, June 01