Former University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Marcus Hansen was unable to break a United States Tennis Association record on Sunday.
Going for his seventh straight title at the Columbus Open the former Cornhusker club tennis player was unable to rebound from a long semi-final and dropped his final match in straight sets 6-2 6-1 to Ryan Burger.
Whose record was Hansen chasing?
His own.
Last year, Hansen won the Columbus Open for a sixth consecutive time breaking the previous record of five straight title defenses.
On Sunday after the loss, he reflected on his own dominance.
“My six-year reign is now over,” Hansen said. “It was good while it lasted.”
Hansen was the odds on favorite to repeat at the event again this after he had won two tournaments earlier this year.
Hansen has 13 titles in his career. He won’t dwell on not having 14.
“The semi-final match I played this year was the best match that I ever played at the Open,” said Hansen.
His semi-final match was nearly four hours long. During the course of the match he said he hurt his shoulder and struggled to fight through.
Bad shoulder aside, he prevailed in three sets, giving him a shot at breaking his own record.
Hansen said the competition at the Columbus Open was the best that it has ever been while he played.
“The competition in the Columbus Open is the best in the state of Nebraska except for the Omaha or Lincoln tournaments,” Hansen said.
michaelschaefer@dailynebraskan.com
United States
Of America
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- TennisThe irony of this all is this-- who would have imagined that Marcus Hansen wouldn't be better at playing with balls than any other dude? It's a crazy world we live in.