Tennys Sandgren
Tennys Sandgren II is an American professional tennis player who broke into the Top 100 of the ATP rankings toward the end of 2017 after competing mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour for many years. Born and raised in Gallatin, Tennessee, he played two years of college tennis at the University of Tennessee before launching his professional career.
Early life
Sandgren's parents, South African Lia Lourens and American David Sandgren, met at a tennis club in Johannesburg. They married and moved to Tennessee in 1988 with Sandgren's older brother, Davey.Sandgren, who was named Tennys after his Swedish great-grandfather, was home-schooled and is coached by his mother. Davey Sandgren is also a tennis player who achieved a career-high ATP ranking of 800 in doubles in 2009.
Junior career
As a junior, Sandgren compiled a singles win/loss record of 70-38, reaching as high as No. 9 in the combined ITF junior world rankings in April 2009.Junior Slam results:
Australian Open: -
French Open: 3R
Wimbledon: 2R
US Open: 2R
College career
Sandgren was a January midseason addition to the Tennessee Volunteers' 2010 tennis roster, joining older brother, Davey, who was a senior All-American on the team. Coached by Sam Winterbotham and Chris Woodruff, the younger Sandgren immediately strengthened the middle of the Vols' singles lineup, going 10-0 in Southeastern Conference play at the No. 4 position to help the team win the SEC regular-season and tournament titles. The team reached the NCAA team finals that year.As a sophomore, Sandgren reached the semifinals of the NCAA Singles Championships, losing to teammate, roommate and doubles partner Rhyne Williams in three sets. He finished the season with a 37-6 record and his 10-1 record in conference helped the Vols to an SEC regular-season title. He finished his career with a 60-12 singles record, the third-best career winning percentage in Tennessee history.
He was also a member of the USTA Summer Collegiate Team after his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Professional career
2011–2016: Early years, Futures success and first Challenger title
Sandgren turned professional in 2011, playing mostly at the ITF Futures level through 2012. In 2013, his ATP ranking remained inside the top 300 for nearly the entire year, allowing him to play on the Challenger Tour for much of the season. In his final tournament of the year, Sandgren won his first final at Challenger level in Champaign to crack the Top 200 for the first time.In 2014, Sandgren missed half of the year after undergoing hip surgery near the beginning of the season. Upon returning to the court, it took him nearly a year to get back to the Top 250 and the Challenger level. Sandgren returned to the Top 200 in November 2016, when he reached his second career Challenger final in Columbus, almost three years after he first achieved these two milestones.
2017: Challenger Tour breakthrough, top 100
In 2017, Sandgren reached five Challenger finals, winning two of them in Tempe and Savannah. He qualified for his first tournament on the ATP World Tour, the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston. Sandgren's success earned him a wildcard berth into the main draw of the French Open. In his Grand Slam debut, Sandgren lost in the first round to Mikhail Kukushkin. A semifinals appearance in Prostejov helped him to break into the Top 100. He recorded his first two ATP World Tour wins at the Washington Open in early August, including a victory over No. 20 Nick Kyrgios. At the U.S. Open, Sandgren lost in the first round to No. 7 Marin Cilic.2018: Australian Open quarterfinal, maiden ATP final
Sandgren began the 2018 season with a first-round loss to Gilles Simon in Pune. He followed with a loss to Casper Ruud in the second qualifying round at the Auckland Open. Sandgren received entry into the main draw of the tournament as a lucky loser following the withdrawal of Kyle Edmund. In the first round of the main draw, he lost in three sets to Hyeon Chung, winner of the inaugural Next Generation ATP Finals in Milan, Italy, two months prior. Making his Australian Open main draw debut, Sandgren won his opening match against French player Jeremy Chardy. In the second round, he defeated 2014 champion and ninth seed Stan Wawrinka, marking his first victory against a Top 10 ranked player. Following a victory over Maximilian Marterer in the third round, Sandgren defeated world No. 5 Dominic Thiem in Sandgren’s first five-set match. He lost to Chung in the quarterfinals in straight sets.As the No. 1 seed, Sandgren was defeated 1-6, 2-6 in the first round of qualification for the Argentina Open by world No. 188 Facundo Bagnis. He lost in the second round of the Rio Open, the first round of the Brasil Open, the second round in Indian Wells and the first round in Miami.
At the beginning of the clay season, Sandgren reached his first final on the ATP World Tour at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, but lost to Steve Johnson.
Sandgren lost in the first round of the Monte Carlo Open to Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets. He suffered another first-round loss in Barcelona to Malek Jaziri, also in straight sets.
Following a first-round loss against Frances Tiafoe at the Estoril Open, Sandgren suffered his fourth consecutive first round loss, losing in straight sets to Denis Shapovalov at the Madrid Open.
After having reached the quarterfinals at the Geneva Open, Sandgren was knocked out in the first round of the French Open by world No. 177 Hubert Hurkacz. He lost in the first round of the doubles tournament in straight sets.
In the first round of Wimbledon, Sandgren was knocked out by eventual champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets, winning only six games.
In the first round of the U.S. Open, Sandgren beat Viktor Troicki in straight sets before losing to Djokovic in four sets in the second round.
2019: First ATP title
In January, Sandgren won his maiden ATP Tour title at the Auckland Open. He achieved his career high in rankings at 41 on January 14. However, after the title, Sandgren suffered a 9-match tour-level losing streak, which he finally snapped at Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round before losing to Sam Querrey. He then reached the quarterfinals at Newport and the third round at the U.S. Open. At the end of the season, a fractured toe kept him inactive, and his ranking sank back out of the top 100.2020: Second Australian Open quarterfinal
Sandgren again made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, where he played Roger Federer. He lost in five tight sets against an injured Federer, after holding seven match points.World TeamTennis
Sandgren has played two seasons with World TeamTennis starting in 2015 when he debuted in the league with the California Dream and then again in 2018 with the Washington Kastles. It was announced that he will join the Orlando Storm during the 2020 season set to begin July 12.ATP career finals
Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | 2018 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships – Singles| | Clay |  Steve Johnson | 6–7, 6–2, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 1–1 | 2019 ASB Classic – Men's Singles| | Auckland Open, New Zealand | 250 Series | Hard |  Cameron Norrie | 6–4, 6–2 |
Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | 2019 Winston-Salem Open – Doubles| | Winston-Salem Open, United States | 250 Series | Hard | Nicholas Monroe |  Łukasz Kubot Marcelo Melo | 7–6, 1–6, |
ATP Challengers and ITF Futures finals
Singles: 26 (14–12)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Win | 1–0 | USA F20, Godfrey | Futures | Hard |  Rudolf Siwy | 6–2, 7–5 | |
| Win | 2–0 | USA F21, Decatur | Futures | Hard |  Bassam Beidas | 6–3, 6–1 | |
| Win | 3–0 | USA F7, Calabasas | Futures | Hard | Daniel Kosakowski | 6–3, 7–5 | |
| Win | 4–0 | USA F10, Little Rock | Futures | Hard |  John Peers | 6–1, 7–6 | |
| Loss | 4–1 | USA F12, Orange Park | Futures | Clay |  Gerald Melzer | 6–7, 3–6 | |
| Win | 5–1 | USA F13, Tampa | Futures | Clay | Bjorn Fratangelo | 6–1, 6–3 | |
| Win | 6–1 | Canada F9, Markham | Futures | Hard |  Peter Polansky | 6–4, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 6–2 | Canada F4, Saskatoon | Futures | Hard | Austin Krajicek | 5–7, 6–7 | |
| Win | 7–2 | 2013 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana – Singles| | Champaign, US | Challenger | Hard | Sam Groth | 3–6, 6–3, 7–6 |
| Win | 8–2 | Canada F1, Gatineau | Futures | Hard | Philip Bester | 6–3, 7–6 | |
| Loss | 8–3 | Canada F2, Sherbrooke | Futures | Hard | Edward Corrie | 6–3, 1–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 8–4 | USA F16, Tampa | Futures | Clay | Thales Turini | 2–6, 5–7 | |
| Loss | 8–5 | USA F16A, Winston-Salem | Futures | Clay |  Matija Pecotić | 2–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | 9–5 | USA F16B, Charlottesville | Futures | Hard | Ernesto Escobedo | 6–4, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 9–6 | Canada F9, Toronto | Futures | Clay | Frank Dancevic | 5–7, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 9–7 | USA F12, Memphis | Futures | Hard | Denis Shapovalov | 6–7, 6–7 | |
| Win | 10–7 | USA F17, Charlottesville | Futures | Hard | Dennis Nevolo | 6–3, 6–3 | |
| Win | 11–7 | USA F24, Godfrey | Futures | Hard |  Facundo Mena | 6–0, 6–4 | |
| Win | 12–7 | USA F25, Edwardsville | Futures | Hard | Marc Polmans | 7–6, 1–6, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 12–8 | 2016 Columbus Challenger 2 – Singles| | Columbus, US | Challenger | Hard | Stefan Kozlov | 1–6, 6–2, 2–6 |
| Win | 13–8 | 2017 Tempe Challenger – Singles| | Tempe, US | Challenger | Hard |  Nikola Milojević | 4–6, 6–0, 6–3 |
| Loss | 13–9 | 2017 Sarasota Open – Singles| | Sarasota, US | Challenger | Clay | Frances Tiafoe | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 14–9 | 2017 Savannah Challenger – Singles| | Savannah, US | Challenger | Clay | João Pedro Sorgi | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 14–10 | 2017 Tiburon Challenger – Singles| | Tiburon, US | Challenger | Hard | Cameron Norrie | 2–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 14–11 | 2017 Charlottesville Men's Pro Challenger – Singles| | Charlottesville, US | Challenger | Hard | Tim Smyczek | 7–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 14–12 | 2019 Sarasota Open – Singles| | Sarasota, US | Challenger | Clay | Tommy Paul | 3–6, 4–6 |
Doubles: 25 (16–9)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Win | 1–0 | USA F17, Pittsburgh | Futures | Clay | Rhyne Williams | Greg Ouellette Vasek Pospisil | 3–6, 6–3, | |
| Win | 2–0 | Canada F6, Toronto | Futures | Hard | Rhyne Williams | Chase Buchanan Peter Kobelt | 6–1, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Canada F7, Markham | Futures | Hard | Rhyne Williams | Milan Pokrajac Peter Polansky | 6–4, 3–6, | |
| Win | 3–1 | USA F5, Brownsville | Futures | Hard | Rhyne Williams |  Ruben Gonzales Chris Kwon | 7–6, 6–0 | |
| Win | 4–1 | USA F6, Harlingen | Futures | Hard | Rhyne Williams |  Thomas Fabbiano Wu Di | 6–7, 7–5, | |
| Win | 5–1 | USA F10, Little Rock | Futures | Hard | Greg Ouellette |  Marvin Barker Edward Corrie | 4–6, 7–6, | |
| Loss | 5–2 | 2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships – Men's Doubles| | Lexington, US | Challenger | Hard | Rhyne Williams | Austin Krajicek John Peers | 1–6, 6–7 |
| Loss | 5–3 | Canada F8, Toronto | Futures | Hard | Chase Buchanan |  Márton Fucsovics Ante Pavić | 2–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | 6–3 | Canada F9, Markham | Futures | Hard | Chase Buchanan | Carsten Ball Peter Polansky | 6–2, 4–6, | |
| Win | 7–3 | 2012 Natomas Men's Professional Tennis Tournament – Doubles| | Sacramento, US | Challenger | Hard | Rhyne Williams | Devin Britton Austin Krajicek | 4–6, 6–4, |
| Loss | 7–4 | 2013 Maui Challenger – Doubles| | Maui, US | Challenger | Hard | Rhyne Williams |  Lee Hsin-han Peng Hsien-yin | 7–6, 2–6, |
| Loss | 7–5 | 2013 Challenger of Dallas – Doubles| | Dallas, US | Challenger | Hard | Rhyne Williams | Alex Kuznetsov Mischa Zverev | 4–6, 7–6, |
| Win | 8–5 | 2013 Tallahassee Tennis Challenger – Doubles| | Tallahassee, US | Challenger | Clay | Austin Krajicek | Greg Jones Peter Polansky | 1–6, 6–2, |
| Win | 9–5 | Canada F4, Saskatoon | Futures | Hard | Austin Krajicek |  Roman Borvanov Milan Pokrajac | 6–4, 3–6, | |
| Win | 10–5 | 2013 Türk Telecom İzmir Cup – Doubles| | İzmir, Turkey | Challenger | Hard | Austin Krajicek | Brydan Klein Dane Propoggia | 7–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 10–6 | 2013 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana – Doubles| | Champaign, US | Challenger | Hard | Austin Krajicek | Edward Corrie Daniel Smethurst | 6–7, 6–0, |
| Win | 11–6 | 2014 BNP Paribas de Nouvelle-Calédonie – Doubles| | Nouméa, New Caledonia | Challenger | Hard | Austin Krajicek | Ante Pavić Blaž Rola | 7–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 12–6 | 2015 BNP Paribas de Nouvelle-Calédonie – Doubles| | Nouméa, New Caledonia | Challenger | Hard | Austin Krajicek | Jarmere Jenkins Bradley Klahn | 7–6, 6–7, |
| Loss | 12–7 | USA F16A, Winston-Salem | Futures | Hard | Rhyne Williams |  Julio Peralta Matt Seeberger | 6–3, 3–6, | |
| Win | 13–7 | Canada F9, Toronto | Futures | Clay | Chase Buchanan | Sami Reinwein Justin S. Shane | 6–1, 6–3 | |
| Win | 14–7 | 2015 Charlottesville Men's Pro Challenger – Doubles| | Charlottesville, US | Challenger | Hard | Chase Buchanan | Peter Polansky Adil Shamasdin | 3–6, 6–4, |
| Win | 15–7 | USA F13, Little Rock | Futures | Hard | Ryan Lipman | Nick Chappell Dane Webb | 6–3, 6–2 | |
| Win | 16–7 | 2016 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana – Doubles| | Champaign, US | Challenger | Hard | Austin Krajicek | Luke Bambridge Liam Broady | 7–6, 7–6 |
| Loss | 16–8 | 2017 Tennis Championships of Maui – Doubles| | Maui, US | Challenger | Hard | Bradley Klahn | Austin Krajicek Jackson Withrow | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 16–9 | 2018 Knoxville Challenger – Doubles| | Knoxville, US | Challenger | Hard | Hunter Reese |  Toshihide Matsui Frederik Nielsen | 6–7, 5–7 |
Performance timelines
Singles
Current through the 2020 New York Open.Doubles
Record against top 10 players
Sandgren's match record against players who have been ranked in the top 10. Only ATP Tour main-draw matches are considered.- Fabio Fognini 2–2
- Matteo Berrettini 1–0
- Lucas Pouille 1–0
- Dominic Thiem 1–0
- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 1–0
- Stan Wawrinka 1–0
- Andy Murray 1–1
- Gilles Simon 1–2
- Marin Čilić 0–1
- Grigor Dimitrov 0–1
- Roger Federer 0-1
- Janko Tipsarević 0–1
- Alexander Zverev 0–1
- Novak Djokovic 0–2
- David Ferrer 0–2
- John Isner 0–2
Top 10 wins
- He has a record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.
| Season | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Total |
| Wins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Twitter controversy
Sandgren's activity on Twitter came under scrutiny during the 2018 Australian Open when it was noted that he was a follower of a number of right wing individuals and organizations, including co-founder and former leader of the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson, and activist Nicholas Fuentes.When questioned on his social media activity, Sandgren said he found some of the alt-right content interesting, but that to fully support alt-right beliefs would be incompatible with his Christian faith. He later clarified: "Definitely not all 'alt-right' content is interesting, just some individuals' specific content".
Within 48 hours of the controversy emerging, Sandgren had deleted several years of tweets, claiming he wanted to create a "version of a cleaner start".