Red Storm Sports News

With two BIG EAST championship titles, 21 total singles championships, four total doubles championships and a league best six No. 1 singles champions, the St. John’s men’s tennis team is no stranger to success. Under the direction of sixth year head coach Eric Rebhuhn, the program has qualified for the conference tournament each year and has finished in the top five of an intense field for the past five years.
 
The accomplishments of the team the past four years in particular have been carried on the shoulders of three Red Storm seniors. 
 
This year, the Red Storm finished its 20th winning season since joining the BIG EAST with an overall record of 14-11 and a BIG EAST mark of 5-3.  St. John’s entered the conference tournament with a 4-1 record.  As the fifth seed, the Red Storm upset the No. 4 seed DePaul in the quarterfinals. It was senior captain Louis Desmarteaux’s deciding match at the No. 1 spot that lifted the Red Storm to the semifinals and an eventual fourth place finish. The Thornhill, Canada native defeated a rival of his from Canadian juniors competition, George Wang of DePaul (6-7(4), 6-1, 7-5).
 
“We definitely had a successful season,” Desmarteaux said. “For me personally, having the opportunity to be the clinching match against DePaul was fantastic. It was the only time in my career at St. John’s that I was the deciding match and to beat a rival of mine from juniors in Canada was great.”
 
Desmarteaux finished his final season with the Red Storm with a 19-8 overall record and a career record of 62-25 at the No. 1 spot. His senior season included a regional ranking of No. 9 entering the spring season along with a No. 14 regional ranking with teammate Alex Svetlakov in doubles, a second place finish at the Columbia Winter Classic and an appearance at the Polo-Ralph Lauren All-American Qualifiers. 

At the BIG EAST Tournament, he went 1-0 in singles play. In his two unfinished matches, Desmarteaux was leading both of his opponents, which included a one-set lead over the BIG EAST most outstanding male tournament player and nationally ranked No. 9 Stephen Bass of Notre Dame. For his efforts, he as named to the all-tournament team for the third consecutive year.
“This season was a growing year for the program,” Desmarteaux said. “With the new players, this is a group of guys that has a lot of potential to succeed in the future. I’m glad I had the opportunity to play with them this year.”
 
Among the new players is freshman Martin Kosut. Kosut and Desmarteaux paired in the spring to produce a team-best 15-1 doubles record at the No. 2 spot.
 
“I’m definitely going to miss traveling with the team,” Desmarteaux said. “The conversations in the van, I will never forget. We have this incredible camaraderie. I’m lucky to have had the chance to play and compete with my friends.”
 
For Claudio Halim, competing in his final match for the Red Storm was bittersweet.
 
“I feel glad and sad at the same time,” Halim said. “These four years have gone by so fast. Playing tennis has been a huge part of my life and I don’t know what I will do with out it.”
 
Before coming to St. John’s, Halim was ranked one of the top-five junior players in Indonesia. He made an impressive debut with the Red Storm finishing fourth on the team with a 13-8 overall record. As a sophomore, he placed second in doubles action at the Northeast Regional. In his junior campaign, he compiled an 11-9 overall record, producing a seven-match mid-season win streak at the No. 6 spot. Halim was also the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Sport-Scholar Award. As a senior, he saw limited action, but produced key wins for St. John’s over Fairleigh Dickinson, Lehigh and Troy.
 
“My most memorable moment was during my sophomore year,” Halim said. “It was when I won the deciding match against Air Force. I had struggled a bit before then and that win just made me feel more a part of the team.”
 
In doubles action, Halim teamed with sophomore-transfer Artem Vlasenko to help the Red Storm clinch the doubles point in key contests this season. The duo played at the No. 3 spot and recorded victories against DePaul in the BIG EAST quarterfinals, then-No. 20 Clemson and program rival Manhattan College.
 
Although he is done playing tennis, Halim has one more semester left at St. John’s. He hopes to spend his last semester cheering on his former teammates and focusing on classes. After graduation, Halim looks forward to living in New York and having a career in finance.
 
Tom Green joined the Red Storm in January of 2006 as a transfer from Georgia Southern, adding a jolt to the Red Storm lineup. In his senior season, the Norwich, England native continued to give the Red Storm energy at the No. 4 spot and in doubles action.
 
“I improved a lot from my first season,” Green said. “I was and still am grateful to coach for giving me the opportunity to move up to No. 1 doubles this year. It has been the highlight of my season.”
 
Green teamed with Svetlakov and Vlasenko this spring at the No. 1 doubles spot. Overall, Green compiled a 10-7 record.  In singles action, he went 9-12 with a mid-season six-match win-streak including victories over several BIG EAST opponents.
 
Another highlight for Green was helping St. John’s to its first-ever victory over local rival Manhattan College.

“It was a huge win for St. John’s and I played a good match,” Green said. “I was glad I could help my team to that program first.”
 
Like Halim, Green has one more academic semester at St. John’s. This summer, he has an internship in investment banking in New York City and after graduation plans on staying in the area, with the hopes of making it to Wall Street someday.
 
“I don’t think it has hit me yet,” Green said about playing his final match. “It has been fun but I guess it is also time to move on. I hope to still compete, but I will miss playing for St. John’s. I’m very happy that I made the decision to transfer and spend my final two seasons with the Red Storm.”
 
With their tennis playing days completed, these seniors hope to leave a legacy that is not limited to The Courts at St. John’s. 

“I would love to be remembered as a strong doubles player,” Green said. “But I think what’s more important for future student-athletes to see, not just future tennis players, is the need for a balance between academics and athletics.”
 
In addition to the Red Storm’s success on the court of the past four years, the team has excelled in the classroom, posting a grade-point average higher than 3.4 each year. Last season, four members were selected as BIG EAST Academic All-Stars, while three men’s tennis student-athletes were inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the national student-athlete honor society.
 
“We all want to be remembered as someone who was one of the better players in the history of St. John’s tennis,” Desmarteaux said. “Hopefully, we were able to create another layer in the already solid foundation for the program to continue its success.”

— Red Storm —