RALEIGH If the fall tennis season is supposed to be a building block to the spring, then it was mission accomplished for Robin Catry.
The N.C. State senior from Lille, France wrapped up his fall campaign with a run to the semifinals at the ITF Futures event in Winston-Salem last month.
Catry fell to the eventual champion Toby Samuel, 6-1, 6-2, but took plenty away from the experience, not just in Winston-Salem, but the entire fall block.
The body of work he put in sharpened his play and helped him build a routine as the Wolfpack preps for the upcoming season.
“It’s definitely a booster for the season, Catry said. “That’s what I told my coaches when I came back. Nothing is different, but it feels different. It proves to myself that I can do some very big things in those kinds of tournaments. It’s always a good feeling.”
The event in Winston-Salem capped off a fall in which Catry went 3-2 in college tournaments and 15-5 overall. He put in hours of play in a six-week period that helped him get into a routine he hopes to carry over into 2023.
His run to the semifinals was sparked by a big quarterfinal win over former Wake Forest player Eduardo Nava.
“That’s like my highlight of the fall for me and probably the best scenario I’ve played in like five years,” Catry said. “It was very tense.”
After falling behind in the third set, Catry said he kept battling and was waiting for Nava to “give me something.” Catry, who was down 6-2, fought back to tie the contest and eventually won the tie breaker.
“That’s what makes my tournament great in my mind,” Catry said.
N.C. State’s head coach, Kyle Spencer, noticed how Catry led up his fall, by putting in the work during a brutal summer stretch.
“Robin had a very good summer getting used to playing a full international schedule of professional events, ” Spencer said. “He came into the fall needing a training block to improve his physicality and durability and attacked that portion of the fall in earnest. Seeing positive outcomes in the fall season culminating in an ITF Futures semifinal from qualifying was the result of that early fall training block.”
Now Catry will take a three-week break, where he will “rest mentally” and get ready to have a strong spring season.
Catry, who led the team with 21 singles wins a year ago, will be one of…
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