Othman Bezzaz and Ernesto Ruy, hailing from different continents, are making history at St. Joseph’s University as a doubles team on the men’s tennis squad, writes Owen Hewitt for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Bezzaz from Casablanca, Morocco, and Ruy, a native of Atizapán de Zaragoza, Mexico, are the first St. Joe’s players to compete in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association East Sectional Championship.
The duo will take on Henrik Bladelius and Noa Vukadin of Clemson this week in Chapel Hill, N.C., in their first sectional match. A top-three finish would secure them one of three automatic bids to the NCAA men’s doubles championship, set to take place in Orlando from November 18 to 23.
“We know it’s a very good opportunity for us,” said Ruy. “But put that aside and think about just being in the moment and play.”
Both Bezzaz and Ruy, born into tennis-playing families, began playing at a young age and competed in singles and doubles junior tournaments in their home countries. Their talent caught the attention of former Hawks coach Marc Pibernat, paving the way to the Montgomery County university, where current coach Jeff Puhan paired them for doubles competition in spring 2024.
Read more about the duo in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
