Alum hopes to make comeback in Classic
By Ajaybir Behniwal
Aug. 3, 2008 9:05 p.m.
One year ago, he found himself amid a run that seemed to have the potential to help jump-start his career.
Zack Fleishman, a huge underdog, was quickly embraced by the fans at the Los Angeles Tennis Center as the overwhelming crowd favorite.
Fleishman squeaked his way into the tournament by winning the wild-card shoot-out in last year’s Countrywide Classic ““ by far the least exciting part of his run.
Fleishman went on to pull off a stunning 7-6(5), 6-4 upset by defeating top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez before advancing all the way to the quarterfinals ““ the furthest a wild-card shoot-out champion had ever made it.
And even then, Fleishman lost to the eventual champion of the tournament, Radek Stepanek, by a score of 6-4, 6-2.
Just months after the 2007 Countrywide Classic, the former UCLA player suffered a tragic mountain-bike accident that would force him to undergo left shoulder surgery.
After that January day, Fleishman was unsure whether he would be able to compete in this year’s tournament on the courts he has become quite familiar with, but it was announced that he would play Marc Gicquel of France, the world’s No. 49 player, in the first round.
“I just started hitting a two-handed backhand two weeks ago,” Fleishman said. “More than anything, I think it’s a battle of how healthy I can stay.”
Fleishman and Gicquel have gone head-to-head before, and the two are quite familiar with one another.
The winner of the match will take on the winner of a Donald Young/Tommy Haas showdown.
Fleishman is familiar with Haas, having played him in last year’s Wimbledon, but has not faced his fellow countryman, Young.
Come match time in the first round though, Fleishman will focus on playing with six pins in his left shoulder ““ a sad reality that may hinder his performance.
The Southern California native, who seems at peace and at great ease within the LATC, holds a 3-5 record in his career at the Countrywide Classic, but he hopes to bring that above the .500 mark this week.
“I’m just going to try and do the best I can,” Fleishman said. “I have so much playing. This is my favorite tournament.”
It was also the tournament that helped propel him to his all-time best ranking last year when he checked in at No. 127 in early November. As of now, though, the eighth-year pro is ranked in the 300s and is looking for any means to get him back into the flow after his nasty spill.
Fleishman wasn’t sure if he’d actually earn a berth into the tournament, but when he did, he couldn’t keep his emotions hidden.
“I had no idea this would happen,” he said. “It’s just an amazing feeling right now.”
Having once volunteered as a ball boy in the L.A. tournament, Fleishman has come full circle, garnering one of the biggest fan bases and creating a story that would make a fitting Hollywood script.
