Happy and Kante win professional debut in doubles

Fewer than two weeks from their last collegiate tournament, FAMU's Takura Happy and Salif Kante made a splash on the professional circuit at the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) Tallahassee Challenger, a professional meet so prominent that the winner will be entered into the main draw at the French Open.  

The tournament is played on a clay surface, a big change for the Rattlers who are used to playing on hard courts. Kante and Happy won their doubles match, advancing in the tournament.

The win for Happy and Kante is their first time playing since winning their doubles match at the No.1 position at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tennis Championship in Raleigh, N.C. on Apr.20th.  The two have had great success playing together, which could be attributed to the fact that they are roommates.

Happy is an aggressive player, who wins by overwhelming his opponent. Kante’s style is a complete contrast to Happy’s. Kante is more of a facilitator who allows the opponent to make the mistake most of the time while taking opportunities that are there where they arise. 

Kante also received a special invitation as the wild card to play singles on yesterday as well. The invitation was timely as the USTA needed to replace Mardy Fish (World Ranked  No.44 by ATP), who withdrew close to this past weekend. Karen Vogter, the tournament's director, made the push to get Kante into the tournament. 

Though he was defeated by Gerald Melzer of Austria 6-2, 6-0 in his first professional match, he took away the confidence that he can play on this professional level. 

“It was really hard for me to adjust to playing on the clay courts.  I got up 2-0 in the first set, then he (Melzer) changed his strategy,” Kante said.  “He played a lot of drop shots, which is difficult to pursue on the clay.”