USF Athletics

USF Doubles Tandem Looks to Make Their Presence Felt at AAC Tournament

April 20, 2022

2022 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL PAGE: Click here for the tournament central page.
TOURNAMENT BRACKET: Click here for the tournament bracket.
MATCHUP: No. 4 South Florida (13-9) vs. No. 5 Central Florida (8-14)
WHEN: Thursday, April 21-Sunday, April 24
TIME: 10 a.m. ET
LOCATION: Tulsa, Okla.
SITE: University of Tulsa Michael D. Case Tennis Center
 
By Joey Johnston
 
TAMPA (April 20, 2022) – USF's top men's doubles team of Rithvik Bollipalli and Bruno Oliveira has enjoyed great success. After a seven-match winning streak — and capturing nine of 10 — Bollipalli and Oliveira were ranked No. 9 nationally in late March.
 
The team also has faltered, losing four straight matches down the stretch, leading into Friday's American Athletic Conference Tournament at Tulsa, Oklahoma.
 
Overall, the Bulls (13-9) have thrived of late, winning five straight matches (all against top 75-ranked opponents) to surge into NCAA Tournament contention. To reach USF's full potential, Bollipalli and Oliveira must round into form during postseason play.
 
"All of the matches will be extremely important now,'' said Oliveira, a left-handed Brazilian who transferred from South Carolina. "This is what you build up to and you want to be playing your best tennis at this time of year.''
 
"I want everyone to know they can depend on us,'' said Bollipalli, a senior from India.
 
Last season, Bollipalli finished four points away from All-American status with his partner Jakub Wojcik, losing in a tiebreaker against No. 3-ranked William Blumberg and Brian Cernoch of North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16.
 
Afterward, Wojcik called Bollipalli "undoubtedly one of the best doubles players in the nation'' and pledged that fans wouldn't hear the last of him. But after Wojcik graduated from USF, the question remained: Who could partner with Bollipalli and find a similar level of success?
 
Oliveira became that guy. He had an up-and-down freshman season at South Carolina, with his participation limited by the school's COVID protocols, and was looking for a new destination. Gamecocks coach Josh Goffi was friends with USF coach Ashley Fisher and respected his doubles teaching ability, so Oliveira was recommended.
 
"Any time you play with someone new, there's always a learning curve,'' Fisher said. "We try to partner up guys who have skill sets to complement each other. Those guys (Bollipalli and Oliveira) played in a fall tournament together and immediately had chemistry.
 
"They are very efficient on serve and whoever is at the net does a great job of cutting off a lot of balls. When doubles is being played well, it's not that exciting because points don't get started. These guys do a great job of really disrupting returners and forcing opponents into small targets and windows. It's tough to play against that type of team.''
 
Oliveira and Bollipalli agree with Fisher's assessment. Their chemistry wasn't an experiment. It was instantaneous.
 
"I was looking for a school where I'd be more happy playing tennis and this was the perfect place,'' said Oliveira, who has gone 7-9 in singles play, including a big victory at No. 6 to clinch USF's victory at UCF in the regular-season finale. "I had to get it right because I didn't want to transfer again. I had some butterflies in my stomach for sure. But as it turned out, I found the perfect doubles partner.''
 
"It has turned out amazing,'' said Bollipalli, who has concentrated on doubles play since suffering a lower back injury last season. "Bruno has helped me more at the night. We have similar identities when it comes to playing doubles, even though we come from different backgrounds.''
 
They both speak the language of tennis.
 
Bollipalli and Oliveira enjoy each other's company off the court, which is nice, but not necessarily a pre-requisite for success. In the professional ranks, Fisher once had a doubles teammate who never spoke to him — not even on the court.
 
"It was like a business relationship — you take your half of the court and I'll take my half,'' Fisher said with a laugh. "Obviously, that's less than ideal. You've got to have a common purpose because there's always a point where things get tough and it's all about how you deal with it together. It's like any kind of successful relationship — a marriage, a friendship or anything.
 
"We are not necessarily ranked where we want to be, but I like this team. We're coming on strong at the end and hopefully coming into our own. These guys (Bollipalli and Oliveira) and really important for us and we have all the confidence in the world when they take the court.''

About Men's Tennis
Be sure to follow USF men's tennis on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. Head Coach Ashley Fisher will begin his sixth year at the helm of the program for the 2022 season.