After three years of college tennis seasoning in Nebraska, Kristian Kiland is in the best shape of his life and he thinks he's finally shored up his backhand weaknesses.
That could spell trouble for James Nearing, the defending champion in this weekend's Prince George Citizen Open at the Prince George Tennis Club.
Kiland and Nearing are on a collision course in the tournament, likely to clash in the competitive division men's singles final on Sunday. Both have their names engraved on Matt Altizer Memorial Trophy - Kiland was the inaugural winner in 2014 after an epic three-set tiebreaker final win over Nearing, who claimed the prize with a straight-set victory over Kiland a year ago.
"Something crazy would have to happen for him and me not to play, I'm pretty sure we'll play in the final," said Kiland, who beat Nearing 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. "We played a match here for our singles league and I barely got him. It could have gone either way, it was so close. I hit with him again (Wednesday) and he was just crushing the ball. He plays such a power game."
Kiland, 21, played a large role in leading the Doane University Tigers to a third-place finish in the NAIA Great Plains Athletic Conference regular season, then helped the Tigers advance to the conference playoff final, which they lost to longtime nemesis Hastings College.
"Hastings won the regular season and the playoffs, which they've done all three years I've been there," said Kiland.
Having been selected a first-team conference all-star in singles and doubles, Kiland learned Monday he made the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) College Division All-American second team. The College Division award considers athletes in all sports attending NAIA schools, U.S. junior colleges and Canadian universities or colleges.
"That was huge, I had no idea I was in the running for it," said Kiland.
Kiland, a chemistry major, finished his academic year with a 3.96 grade point average (out of a possible 4.0). He practices tennis two hours per day on the Doane campus in Crete, Neb., and on most days spends an hour a day working out in the gym. That makes tennis a 16-hour-per-week commitment, but he still finds time to study.
"It's always tough being a student athlete and it 's definitely a challenge to manage, you just have to put your nose to the grindstone," he said.
"My overall fitness is better. I've put in so many hours in the gym and I've gotten faster and stronger and that's helped a lot. As far as my tennis game, my backhand has been so much better. People can obviously tell my backhand has been my weakness and they keep hitting to it, but I've gotten a lot better with it because they keep picking on it."
Kiland will likely take the Number 1 spot at Doane when the fall season begins in September. next year. This year he filled the Tigers' Number 2 role, ranked second on the men's team as a singles player.
A couple weeks ago, Kiland and his brother, Jim Condon, played in the Lakeview Heights Open in West Kelowna, where they won the men's doubles A event. Kiland, the men's singles runner-up the previous two years, captured the singles title, beating Jeremy Bell of Vernon 6-3, 6-3. It was his first-ever match win over the Okanagan veteran, who defesated Kiland in three sets in the 2014 final.
"That was the first time ever we've gone down there and swept the events," said Kiland.
"I just played a very solid match to (defeat Bell). The depth of my shots was the most important thing. My forehand and backhand were landing very deep so he couldn't ever really attack. I was placing my serve well there, I don't have the hardest serve around but I can pick the corner and keep people on their toes."
Kiland plans to team up in doubles this weekend with Isaiah Berra, who works with Kiland at the club teaching lessons. Condon and his mom, Nancy, will form a team in the men's doubles division.
Matches begin today at 5 p.m. Finals are scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
