Sebastian Cole striving for IAC repeat

Trumansburg senior Sebastian Cole has been as dominant as it gets on the tennis court since the start of his junior year. Until a tightly contested and very windy tiebreaker victory over Lansing’s Brian Chang on April 28, Cole had not dropped a single set against any opponent, winning the IAC Championship last season.

Cole has started the year 6-0, outscoring his opponents 77 games to 28. Last season ended after the IAC Championship and sectionals were not held, but this year, Cole can go even deeper in the postseason.

“I’m hoping I can follow it up,” Cole said. “The only time I’ve ever participated in sectionals, I advanced from it in my freshman year. Then in my sophomore year, it was canceled because the whole season was canceled. [It was canceled] my junior year because states were canceled; they didn’t hold sectionals at all. This year, me and our second best player, his name is Jake Paradisin, we’re both trying to make it through sectionals and see how far we can go.”

In between his freshman season and the great strides he showed last year, there was the pandemic that axed his sophomore season. He did not let that slow down his growth as a player, taking matters into his own hands.

“There was a lot of practice,” Cole said. “My school has a very large brick wall, and throughout the summer, I would hit against the wall. I also usually go to a summer camp in Vermont. It’s not for tennis, but they have tennis courts. So, I played against the backboard there. There was a lot of hitting against the wall.”

The result of his hard work is a player who is very difficult to play against. He discussed the growth of both himself and his talented teammate and volleying partner Paradisin.

“Jake and I both have gotten a lot more consistent in terms of what we can do as our skill floor,” Cole said. “It used to be where we would both have our own style of game and if we were having off days, there would be lots of mishits, but there’s just a lot more control and consistency. Even on our off days, we can still hit and play at a really high level.”

Paradisin, like Cole, is 6-0 this season and has showcased great talent. Being able to play with a player of that caliber every day at practice has helped Cole make even greater strides on the court.

“It’s allowed both of us to improve a lot more than we would be able to otherwise,” Cole said. “Aside from playing matches, it’s harder to get someone to hit against [who] is that competitive on our team. Everyone on our team is good, and we have a good coach, but Jake and I specifically can practice against each other. Our games have kind of evolved around that.”

Thanks to that work alongside Paradisin, Cole has evolved into a cerebral player who can adjust his game based on what he sees from opponent to opponent.

“My biggest strength is adaptability,” Cole said. “I can pick up on weaknesses and strengths of my opponents and I have a really well-rounded game. Jake likes to say I’m a junkballer, but that’s mostly because he hits like a really aggressive baseline player, which I can do, but I’d rather just block it back to him. I kind of switch up my playstyle depending on who I’m facing.”

Weather has been a factor in terms of getting consistent playing time. After the first two matches of the season against Thomas A. Edison and Waverly, there was a two-week gap in the schedule due to postponements, leading to a stretch of four matches in eight days. For Cole, he prefers to have the matches come at a rapid pace like that.

“I’m not sure if everyone [likes it], but I just love to hit and I love to play and compete,” Cole said. “I like the pressure of playing an actual match instead of just hitting, so I really actually prefer it. But at the end of the day, as long as I can get out and hit, I’m happy.”

While repeating as the IAC champion is the most immediate task, there are quite a few obstacles Cole must overcome to get to the State Tournament before he graduates.

“Getting to states is really difficult for tennis,” Cole said. “Once you advance from sectionals, we have to go through crossovers. If all goes according to plan, Jake and I should both be able to make it to crossovers. From there, we will play against the different class size schools. If we can make it through that little four-man bracket with two of us in it, then we should be able to make it at least to State Qualifiers, which would be pretty big for our school.”

The regular season wraps up May 5 for Cole and the Blue Raiders as they take on a very competitive Watkins Glen team. From there, the quest for a spot in the State Tournament begins.

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