Stineman gets pro’s stamp of approval

Updated: July 5, 2011 11:54AM

Robert Stineman wasn’t sure if he was going to get a second chance in the Nielsen Pro Tennis Championship this year.

He received a wild card to compete in the singles qualifying round on Sunday and soaked in as much as he could from his first professional tournament.

The next day, he learned he received another wild card for the doubles main draw. He showed up Wednesday with a different feeling.

“I went out on the court with no nerves,” Stineman said. “I felt good right from the start. Having that match before (on Sunday) really helped. Hopefully this experience will keep building and moving forward.”

The recent New Trier graduate and two-time IHSA singles champion partnered with professional Thomas Blake. The pair faced Brain Dabul and Rik DeVoust, the No. 3 duo in the tournament, and lost in a third-set tiebreak, 6-3, 3-6, (10-6).

Stineman, being the youngest player in tournament. and Blake having retired from singles and being away from the sport, formed an intriguing tandem.

They got off to a slow start, quickly falling behind 0-4 in under 15 minutes. Stineman and Blake then jumped to a 4-1 lead in the second set, but couldn’t pull away in the third set tiebreak.

“We were close; I mean, we were really close,” said the 18-year-old. “Anything can happen in those abbreviated formats. We made a couple of unforced errors that we wish we could’ve taken back.”

Despite the loss, Stineman said he had fun playing alongside Blake, who won the tournament’s doubles title in 1999 with his brother James Blake.

“(Thomas) knows the game of tennis really well,” Stineman said. “He knows where to put the shots. He hasn’t played in a while, competitively, but he’s still got the knowledge, and I still took away a lot from that match just learning to play, going out there and thinking about the shot and strategizing more.”

Stineman met Blake at the VIP sponsor’s party Sunday night. Though Stineman wanted to play doubles, he didn’t have a partner. Monday morning, Blake spoke with tournament director Linda Goodman, offering to be Stineman’s partner. After much deliberation, Goodman announced the doubles wild card Monday evening.

“That’s a pretty big honor to make that kind of impression on him,” said Stineman, who will compete at Stanford.

The tournament saw its first mid-week, sold-out crowd Wednesday night. Fans lined up in front of the AC Nielsen Tennis Center’s main court to watch the Winnetka native team up with a professional veteran. More piled in later that night to see James Blake, fresh from Wimbledon, compete in singles.

Thomas Blake initially was at the tournament to watch James and said he sees a lot of potential in Stineman.

“He’s obviously very talented to win state two years in a row and go to Stanford, one of the best tennis schools in the country,” said Blake, 34. “You can never really tell because there’s so many talented guys out there, but he certainly has the physical tools. If he keeps working hard and stays interested in the game and doesn’t burn out, I think he’s got a chance to play on the tour.”

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