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Bruno Kuzuhara Already Proving Worth for Clemson Tennis

Clemson’s newest addition has been busy on the court in recent weeks.
Drew Cagle|
A view of Memorial Stadium, Tillman Hall, and the oculus from McWhorter Stadium in Clemson.
A view of Memorial Stadium, Tillman Hall, and the oculus from McWhorter Stadium in Clemson. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

When Clemson announced the signing of 22-year-old Bruno Kuzuhara last month, it sent shockwaves through the college tennis world.

The former world No. 1-ranked junior player joined the Tigers for this upcoming season after spending parts of five years regularly competing in ATP events as a professional.

“We are thrilled with the addition of Bruno to this squad for next season,” head coach Brandon Wagner said. “His character and the way he goes about his daily work will fit right in with the rest of the team. We are sure he will add a lot to a hungry group who is looking forward to doing something special next year.”

Since his commitment to Clemson, the American has been hard at work competing on the Challenger circuit.

Events such as these are commonly competed in by current and former high-level college players, with a mix of lower-ranked tour veterans as well. “M25” refers to the number of ATP ranking points awarded to the tournament champion. The winner of an M25 earns 25 ATP points, while the champion of a Grand Slam tournament such as Wimbledon or the U.S. Open earns 2,000.

At the M25 event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in mid-June, Kuzuhara earned a three-set opening round win over world No. 392 Alex Rybakova before losing in the second round to former Michigan star Gavin Young. He followed that up with a straight-set win over current Virginia starter Stiles Brockett in Dallas just weeks later.

By defeating a current lineup mainstay in Brockett, Kuzuhara has continued to prove why he can make an immediate impact with the Tigers this fall. Just a few months ago in the NCAA Tournament, Brockett came up clutch with wins in the semifinals and championship match, delivering UVA a seventh national title.

Though Kuzuhara will likely slot higher in Clemson’s lineup than Brockett will in Virginia’s, that’s no slight at the latter, who is a former blue-chip recruit who reached a No. 8 national ranking in his high school class.

After another win at the Dallas M25, the future Tiger dropped a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6(4) decision  to Aidan Kim in the quarterfinals. Kim compiled a 10-9 record at No. 1 singles for Ohio State last season, reaching the top 5 of the ITA Singles rankings. 

Perhaps Kuzhara’s best result came this past week at the Challenger event in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He prevailed in a back-and-forth match against Wake Forest star and world No. 446 DK Suresh, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.

Competing against players like Suresh, who finished last season ranked inside the ITA’s top 40 in singles, and Kim, who has high-level Power Four experience as well, is a great indicator for what Kuzuhara can do for Clemson. The Tigers, who will co-host the ITA National Indoor Championships this February, are gearing up for a big season alongside him.

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Drew Cagle
DREW CAGLE

Drew is a product of Anderson University's School of Communication, where he was also a collegiate tennis player. In the past, he has worked with Clemson Sports Media and FanSided among others.

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