SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Sebastian Dominko came to college as a top recruit in the world having worked his way into the top-50 in the ITF junior rankings. He already had ATP points and was ranked #892 on the men’s tour when he arrived on The University of Notre Dame’s campus in August. Despite his high-level junior pedigree, the 6 foot 7 inch lefty from Maribor, Slovenia was not listed as one of the top-10 incoming collegiate freshman/newcomers at the beginning of the 2022-2023 season. When ITA preseason rankings came out, he was nowhere to be found. And while he was primed to make an immediate impact on the Fighting Irish tennis program, the degree of his success was to be seen. But his steady growth, development and persistence throughout his first year led him to put together the best rookie year of any freshman in the history of Notre Dame Men’s Tennis.
In the fall, Dominko would make some noise in his first-ever collegiate event, the Bobby Bayliss Invitational on his home courts. He tallied wins against Columbia, Michigan and Alabama all without dropping a set. The next week, a trip to Tulsa for the All-American Championships would be a continuation of his good early form. He won four rounds in pre-qualifying to make it into the qualifying draw of the tournament where he ultimately dropped his first contest. Dominko also played two professional events during his fall campaign and made it to the finals of his first pro doubles event. With a 7-1 record in collegiate events, Dominko appeared for the first time in the national rankings at #17 and put the country on notice.
The Slovenian began the spring dual season at the top spot in the Irish lineup for singles and doubles. Alongside senior captain Connor Fu, the duo would post a 9-1 record to start their partnership and set the tone for a great year. They finished 13-5 overall, had a season and career high ranking of #16 in the country and qualified for the NCAA Individual Doubles Championships.
In singles, Dominko played every match at the #1 position which means he saw the best player for the opposing team each time he stepped on the court. Playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference as well as a very tough non-conference schedule, Dominko faced 19 players who ended the year nationally ranked in singles. He recorded nine ranked wins on the year including wins over the year-end #4, #5 and #7 players in the country, had two ranked matches left unfinished and never lost to a player unranked…