To be the best, you have to beat the best. Bob van Overbeek hasn’t quite done that yet.
No. 10 Florida’s top singles player lost his fifth straight match Monday, with four of those five losses coming against players ranked in the top 50. No. 61 Van Overbeek lost 6-1, 6-2 to No. 2 Steve Johnson of Southern California on Monday, part of a 6-1 loss to the No. 1 Trojans.
Now 5-7 on the year, van Overbeek’s record is not a true reflection of his play. The fact that he has played in the top singles spot in every dual match this season speaks to his ability. Both van Overbeek and Florida coach Andy Jackson agree the level of competition has played a major role in his losing streak.
“He’s been playing the best player from the other team,” Jackson said. “Like any coach will say, if you know who wins the match, you maybe are missing way more information from the match than you’re gaining, because you have to take into account who you’re playing.”
Last year, van Overbeek played the majority of his matches on court four, with a few on court three. This year, he was asked to step up to the top spot. He said that one of the biggest changes from last year is that he must consistently prepare to face the best players in the nation.
“I’ve been playing up and down a lot,” he said. “The guys I’ve been playing against are all really good. I’ve just got to practice more and improve on some things. The level of play of the people I was playing last year and in the fall is a lot different than the people I’m playing in the spring.”
The junior’s teammates were unable to pick up the slack after USC’s court one victory. The Trojans clinched the match with Roberto Quiroz’s court six win against Billy Federhofer (6-2, 6-3) and Yannick Hanfmann’s court five victory against Florent Diep (7-5, 6-2).
Spencer Newman picked up UF’s sole point with a 6-2, 6-3 victory on court four against Emilio Gomez.
While van Overbeek’s losing streak would be discouraging to many, Jackson said that he hopes van Overbeek learns from it. Playing at the top singles spot is a big challenge, but the coach said that a tough stretch like this will define a player’s season.
“Whenever you’re in that situation, it’s either going to make you better or it’s going to break you,” Jackson said. “I’ve found him to be a very resilient guy, but time will tell.”
UF senior Bob van Overbeek returns a volley. Van Overbeek won only his second match since Feb. 3 against Ole Miss on Friday.
