TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State men's tennis team signed two student-athletes who will continue their athletic and academic endeavors with the Sun Devil men's tennis program, as announced by head coach Matt Hill. The two student-athletes that signed will be added to the six currently on the roster, with the eight men hailing from eight different countries.
Justin Roberts // Graduate Student // Nassau, Bahamas // USF
Roberts will join the Sun Devils this fall and be immediately cleared to participate as a graduate transfer. Pursuing his degree at the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law in a Master's Degree in Sports Law and Business, Roberts played two seasons under Coach Hill during his tenure at the University of South Florida. The Bahamas-native brings a wealth of talent in the doubles realm to ASU, tallying a 34-20 record in three seasons as a Bull. Prior to arriving to USF's campus, Roberts was one of 14 athletes to represent the Bahamas in the Youth Olympic Games in China. The transfer also won the Almere ITF singles and doubles titles both in 2012 and 2013 and achieved a career-high 162 ITF ranking as well.
Coach Hill on Roberts:
"I know Justin incredibly well after recruiting him and having coached him for two years. He's a world-class athlete who has a ton of weapons on the court. It's all about him harnessing those weapons and using them at the right times for him to be successful at the highest level. He's already beaten a lot of great players since he's started playing on the men's circuit, but it's more of a consistency of results that we want to see out of him in this next year."
Dominik Kellovsky // Junior // Havirov, Czech Republic // Brno International Business School
Kellovsky is set to join the Sun Devils after pursuing a career on the professional tennis circuit. The Czech Republic native notched a 70-98 record in singles play and 112-82 record in doubles, and looks to bring much needed depth and doubles knowledge to the squad. Kellovsky earned a career-high 468 ranking in 2016, and a career-high 405 ranking in doubles which he achieved just a few weeks ago on July 30, 2018. The transfer has seen success on the circuit, winning a doubles title in tandem with partner Marek Gengel at the Bahrain F1 Futures tournament. The pair teamed up to defeat an American pair in the final round 6-3, 3-6, 10-6. That title marked the 10th doubles title for Kellovsky in the past five years.
Coach Hill on Kellovsky:
"Dominik comes to us with a really high professional ranking on the men's tour. He's been ranked in the 400s already, which shows that he has a lot of ability to beat some of the best players in the world. We know he will be a successful college player because he's also a really good team guy. He loves leading and taking on that role and that's going to be crucial for the group. He comes from the same experience as Michaël Geerts where he's played some of the best players in the world, so he knows what it takes to be successful at that level. Dominik's a very vocal person and isn't afraid to tell people what he thinks and that'll be beneficial for sure."
ASU's Signing Class of 2018 Highlights:
- Roberts played under coach Hill at USF for two seasons before Hill came to Arizona State
- Assistant coach Dominic Cotrone and Roberts have a history, as the two notched a 8-2 record in doubles play at USF
- Kellovsky notched a career-high 468 ATP ranking while Roberts has a career-high 1184 ranking
- Roberts will join the Sun Devils as a Graduate Student while Kellovsky will be a junior, tripling ASU's upperclassmen count from one to three and providing much needed leadership to the young squad
- With the two additions being from two foreign countries, this again solidifies Sun Devil Men's Tennis as one of the most diverse teams within Sun Devil Athletics (eight players from eight different countries and none from America)
The class includes Justin Roberts, a senior transfer from USF, and Dominik Kellovsky, who joins the Sun Devils after a stint on the professional tennis circuit.Help us welcome the two newest members of our squad for the 2018-19 season!
— Sun Devil M. Tennis (@SunDevilMTennis) July 3, 2018
Justin comes to ASU as a transfer from USF and played under coach Hill while Dominik spent some time on the pro circuit before joining us! pic.twitter.com/rMLaAcVnRU
Justin Roberts // Graduate Student // Nassau, Bahamas // USF
Roberts will join the Sun Devils this fall and be immediately cleared to participate as a graduate transfer. Pursuing his degree at the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law in a Master's Degree in Sports Law and Business, Roberts played two seasons under Coach Hill during his tenure at the University of South Florida. The Bahamas-native brings a wealth of talent in the doubles realm to ASU, tallying a 34-20 record in three seasons as a Bull. Prior to arriving to USF's campus, Roberts was one of 14 athletes to represent the Bahamas in the Youth Olympic Games in China. The transfer also won the Almere ITF singles and doubles titles both in 2012 and 2013 and achieved a career-high 162 ITF ranking as well.
Coach Hill on Roberts:
"I know Justin incredibly well after recruiting him and having coached him for two years. He's a world-class athlete who has a ton of weapons on the court. It's all about him harnessing those weapons and using them at the right times for him to be successful at the highest level. He's already beaten a lot of great players since he's started playing on the men's circuit, but it's more of a consistency of results that we want to see out of him in this next year."
Dominik Kellovsky // Junior // Havirov, Czech Republic // Brno International Business School
Kellovsky is set to join the Sun Devils after pursuing a career on the professional tennis circuit. The Czech Republic native notched a 70-98 record in singles play and 112-82 record in doubles, and looks to bring much needed depth and doubles knowledge to the squad. Kellovsky earned a career-high 468 ranking in 2016, and a career-high 405 ranking in doubles which he achieved just a few weeks ago on July 30, 2018. The transfer has seen success on the circuit, winning a doubles title in tandem with partner Marek Gengel at the Bahrain F1 Futures tournament. The pair teamed up to defeat an American pair in the final round 6-3, 3-6, 10-6. That title marked the 10th doubles title for Kellovsky in the past five years.
Coach Hill on Kellovsky:
"Dominik comes to us with a really high professional ranking on the men's tour. He's been ranked in the 400s already, which shows that he has a lot of ability to beat some of the best players in the world. We know he will be a successful college player because he's also a really good team guy. He loves leading and taking on that role and that's going to be crucial for the group. He comes from the same experience as Michaël Geerts where he's played some of the best players in the world, so he knows what it takes to be successful at that level. Dominik's a very vocal person and isn't afraid to tell people what he thinks and that'll be beneficial for sure."
ASU's Signing Class of 2018 Highlights:
- Roberts played under coach Hill at USF for two seasons before Hill came to Arizona State
- Assistant coach Dominic Cotrone and Roberts have a history, as the two notched a 8-2 record in doubles play at USF
- Kellovsky notched a career-high 468 ATP ranking while Roberts has a career-high 1184 ranking
- Roberts will join the Sun Devils as a Graduate Student while Kellovsky will be a junior, tripling ASU's upperclassmen count from one to three and providing much needed leadership to the young squad
- With the two additions being from two foreign countries, this again solidifies Sun Devil Men's Tennis as one of the most diverse teams within Sun Devil Athletics (eight players from eight different countries and none from America)