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: Russell Benkaim
12/17/2019 10:36 AM | Men's Tennis
Junior Russell Benkaim finished as the No. 17-ranked singles player in the ITA Mountain Region following his sophomore campaign. Benkaim was dominant in the No. 4 singles spot, posting a 16-7 record last year. Highlighting the 2019 season in one of the program's most historic upsets, Benkaim clinched the match-winner against No. 12 Stanford on Utah's senior day. Benkaim also earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors after helping the Utes sweep No. 40 Old Dominion and Denver.Â
Benkaim had a stellar fall season and went 9-1 in singles play to lead Utah. At the Utah Invitational, he was 5-0 in singles play to win his flight, while the Bradenton, Fla. native won four straight matches at the ITA Mountain Regional Championships before falling in the semifinal round. Benkaim and partner Paul McCallie also had a nice showing in double at the Utah Invitational, winning all five matches the duo competed in.Â
Get to know more about Russell Benkaim ahead of the 2020 season:
When did you first start playing tennis and why?
"I started playing when I was three years old. It all just started with me playing in the street with my dad. I don't know how I started to take an interest in it. I think it was just because my sisters were playing at that point in time."
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What was playing tennis at a young age like for you? When did you decide that tennis was something that you wanted to pursue?
"It was great. I played tennis as much as I could. I did track and played basketball when I was in seventh and eighth grade, but when I got into ninth grade, it was tennis from there on out. I decided at a young age to put all of my effort into tennis just because I knew I was better at that than any other sport."
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You were ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation in the USTA National Rankings. Can you tell me a little more about that and what it took to get there?
"I had a private coach and we would work together every day, and my dad would help out as well. One day, I had a really good tournament in Georgia and it really built my confidence, then the results and rankings just kept getting better and better."
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You also won three Florida State Doubles Championships as well as two ITF titles in doubles. How did it feel to win those competitions?
"It was a really good time and I had a lot of fun. Two of the Florida doubles tournaments I played in, I played with the same partners, which were some of my best tournaments. The ITF tournaments I played in were in Puerto Rico, and it was a really cool experience travel there and then be able to compete."
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Were there any other schools you were looking at going to besides the University of Utah? What stuck out about the U that made you decide to come here?
"There were a couple other schools that I was looking at. I was interested in going to Georgia Tech or Louisville. Going to a school in a Power Five conference was my main goal. When I came to Utah, I loved the campus and how beautiful the state was, and I also really liked the coaches and the guys on the team."
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What were some of the biggest adjustments you faced coming from Florida to Utah as a freshman?
"The biggest adjustment to me was on the tennis court. I immediately started playing once I got to the U in January. It was so hard getting used to the altitude. I struggled and was playing very poor to start. Eventually after a month or two of playing in Utah, I was able to get used to it."
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As a sophomore, you finished ranked No. 17 in the ITA Mountain Region and also achieved the honor of Pac-12 Player of the Week. How did it feel to achieve those accomplishments?
"It was awesome to see the results I wanted from the hard work that I was putting in. I just wanted to help my team make it to NCAA's, and I was happy to see the results of the hard work we all put in as a collective group."
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What is something you would like to personally accomplish or see this team accomplish before you graduate?
"I would love to win a couple rounds at the NCAA's as a team and make the NCAA tournament for doubles and singles. I mostly just want the team to make an extra step to win a round or two."
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Benkaim had a stellar fall season and went 9-1 in singles play to lead Utah. At the Utah Invitational, he was 5-0 in singles play to win his flight, while the Bradenton, Fla. native won four straight matches at the ITA Mountain Regional Championships before falling in the semifinal round. Benkaim and partner Paul McCallie also had a nice showing in double at the Utah Invitational, winning all five matches the duo competed in.Â
Get to know more about Russell Benkaim ahead of the 2020 season:
When did you first start playing tennis and why?
"I started playing when I was three years old. It all just started with me playing in the street with my dad. I don't know how I started to take an interest in it. I think it was just because my sisters were playing at that point in time."
Â
What was playing tennis at a young age like for you? When did you decide that tennis was something that you wanted to pursue?
"It was great. I played tennis as much as I could. I did track and played basketball when I was in seventh and eighth grade, but when I got into ninth grade, it was tennis from there on out. I decided at a young age to put all of my effort into tennis just because I knew I was better at that than any other sport."
Â
You were ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation in the USTA National Rankings. Can you tell me a little more about that and what it took to get there?
"I had a private coach and we would work together every day, and my dad would help out as well. One day, I had a really good tournament in Georgia and it really built my confidence, then the results and rankings just kept getting better and better."
Â
You also won three Florida State Doubles Championships as well as two ITF titles in doubles. How did it feel to win those competitions?
"It was a really good time and I had a lot of fun. Two of the Florida doubles tournaments I played in, I played with the same partners, which were some of my best tournaments. The ITF tournaments I played in were in Puerto Rico, and it was a really cool experience travel there and then be able to compete."
Â
Were there any other schools you were looking at going to besides the University of Utah? What stuck out about the U that made you decide to come here?
"There were a couple other schools that I was looking at. I was interested in going to Georgia Tech or Louisville. Going to a school in a Power Five conference was my main goal. When I came to Utah, I loved the campus and how beautiful the state was, and I also really liked the coaches and the guys on the team."
Â
What were some of the biggest adjustments you faced coming from Florida to Utah as a freshman?
"The biggest adjustment to me was on the tennis court. I immediately started playing once I got to the U in January. It was so hard getting used to the altitude. I struggled and was playing very poor to start. Eventually after a month or two of playing in Utah, I was able to get used to it."
Â
As a sophomore, you finished ranked No. 17 in the ITA Mountain Region and also achieved the honor of Pac-12 Player of the Week. How did it feel to achieve those accomplishments?
"It was awesome to see the results I wanted from the hard work that I was putting in. I just wanted to help my team make it to NCAA's, and I was happy to see the results of the hard work we all put in as a collective group."
Â
What is something you would like to personally accomplish or see this team accomplish before you graduate?
"I would love to win a couple rounds at the NCAA's as a team and make the NCAA tournament for doubles and singles. I mostly just want the team to make an extra step to win a round or two."
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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