First To The Top: Chidekh Achieves No. 1 Ranking

SEATTLE – For the first time in program history, a Washington Husky sits atop the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national singles rankings. Junior Clement Chidekh, the native of Lyon, France, climbed the last remaining rung in the newly released rankings, going from No. 2 to the No. 1 position on Thursday morning.
 
The ITA rankings date back to 1981 and previously Chidekh shared the UW all-time high ranking of No. 2, along with Alex Vlaski, who was ranked second in 2004.
 
Also achieving a huge career-high in the singles rankings this week is senior Ewen Lumsden, who went from unranked to No. 66, and the doubles duo of Chidekh and freshman Nedim Suko are ranked for the first time together at No. 36.
 
Chidekh is now 16-3 on the season and 5-0 in dual singles matches. He first jumped into the top-10 of the singles rankings after an 11-win fall season that saw him make the semifinals of both national individual tournaments, the ITA All-America Championships and the ITA National Fall Championships.
 
Last weekend, as Washington hosted the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, Chidekh added a victory over Georgia's No. 1 singles player, 22nd-ranked Hamish Stewart. He was also leading 6-0, 6-5, and had double-match-point against Virginia's Inaki Montes de la Torre but Virginia was able to clinch the team win on another court and prevented Chidekh from potentially getting another high quality victory.
 
Based on the current rankings, Chidekh has wins over players ranked No. 4, No. 9, No. 11, No. 22, No. 24, No. 45, No. 57, No. 102, and No. 125.
 
Lumsden, the Scotland native, posted a big win last Saturday against then-No. 25 Philip Henning, helping him to a new career-high No. 66 ranking. He now owns a 14-5 record for the year and an 8-2 mark in dual matches.
 
Chidekh and freshman Nedim Suko are now ranked 36th as a duo. The two went 2-1 against the ITA National Team Indoor competition last week, including an upset of No. 2-ranked Boulais/Trotter of Ohio State. Chidekh and Suko are now 7-2 on the season and 5-1 at the No. 2 doubles spot for the Dawgs.
 
Washington will be back in action at home early this Sunday morning, hosting Wisconsin at 9 a.m. at the Nordstrom Tennis Center.