2020-21 Men's Tennis Roster

Yamlak Tsega / XULA Athletics
Yamlak Tsega / XULA Athletics
Yamlak Tsega / XULA Athletics
Yamlak Tsega / XULA Athletics

Shaikh Abdullah

  • Height 5-10
  • Weight 148
  • Class Senior
  • Hometown Hyderabad, India
  • High School Nava Chaithanya
  • Major Business

Biography

Honors
•  ITA/NAIA All-America three times (2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20)
•  NAIA All-America first team in 2018-19, honorable mention in 2017-18
•  ITA/NAIA Region IV Rookie of the Year in 2017-18
•  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week three times
•  XULA Sister Grace Mary Flickinger Honor Roll in 2018 and 2019
•  GCAC Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2019-20

Briefly
•  Fourth year at XULA
•  Three-year letterman

2020-21 (Senior)
•  Champion in doubles and runner-up in singles in the season-opening ITA NAIA Gulf Regional Championships at New Orleans Sept. 18-20 . . . Doubles title qualified him and partner Santiago Perez for the ITA Cup Oct. 16-18 at Rome, Ga.
•  Teamed with Santiago Perez to win 6-2, 6-3 against Sam Marin and Joseph Short of city rival Loyola in the Gulf Regional doubles final Sept. 19, 2020

2019-20 (Junior)
•  Became the second XULA man all-time to make ITA/NAIA All-America three times
•  Produced clinching victories in XULA's first two dual matches of the spring: Loyola (N.O.) and Mississippi College
•  18-1 for the season — 9-1 in singles and 9-0 in doubles . . . Santiago Perez was his doubles partner
•  ITA/NAIA end-of-season national rankings: No. 30 in singles, No. 4 in doubles with Santiago Perez
•  Helped XULA go 9-1 in dual matches and reach No. 2 in the final NAIA coaches poll
•  Helped XULA go 3-0 in duals against top-25 schools

2018-19 (Sophomore)
•  Made both NAIA All-America squads, including first team on the NAIA's committee-picked team
•  Primarily played No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles with Santiago Perez for for XULA's national runner-up team
•  ITA/NAIA end-of-season national rankings: No. 3 in doubles with Santiago Perez
•  Won three doubles matches and two singles matches at NAIA nationals to help seventh-seeded XULA become the lowest seed ever to reach the men's final
•  Won in doubles — 8-5 after trailing 4-1 — and singles against third-seeded/third-ranked Cardinal Stritch in the NAIA national semifinals
•  25-13 for the season — 10-6 in singles and 15-7 in doubles . . . 14-5 in doubles with Santiago Perez
•  Clinched XULA victories against NCAA Division I Nicholls during regular season and against 10th-seeded/10th-ranked Union (Ky.) in NAIA nationals round of 16
•  Won twice in doubles against Texas A&M-Texarkana's nationally ranked Cole Guy and Alejandro Oviedo
•  Won 7-6 (7-0), 7-5 at Mobile's Mark Simons, a second-team All-American the previous season
•  Named GCAC Player of the Week three times
•  Helped XULA go 17-9 in dual matches and reach No. 2 in the final NAIA coaches poll
•  Helped XULA go 8-6 in duals against top-25 schools
•  Fall highlight was a 6-1 victory with Santiago Perez against Morgan State's Shrey Guptaa and Nihit Rawal in the A-doubles final of the HBCU National Championships at Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 22, 2018

2017-18 (Freshman)
•  Enrolled at XULA in January 2018
•  ITA/NAIA Region IV Rookie of the Year
•  ITA/NAIA All-American
•  Honorable mention on the NAIA's committee-picked All-America team
•  ITA/NAIA end-of-season national rankings: No. 42 in singles, No. 4 in doubles with Antoine Richard
•  18-15 for the season — 9-6 in singles and 9-9 in doubles . . . 6-6 in doubles with Antoine Richard
•  Defeated Hugo Robuchon 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 at No. 3 singles to clinch XULA's 5-3 quarterfinal victory against fifth-seeded/fifth-ranked William Carey at NAIA nationals
•  Helped XULA go 13-12 in dual matches and reach No. 3 in the final NAIA coaches poll
•  Helped XULA go 5-7 in duals against top-25 schools

Amateur
•  Won more than 100 singles and doubles titles in age-group tennis
•  A notable championship was an ITF grade 4 victory in a men's tournament at Guwahati, India . . . There he beat the No. 1, 3 and 4 seeds

ITA / NAIA Rankings History
Singles
Nov. 19, 2020 / senior:  18th national, 10th South
April 16, 2020 / junior:  30th national, 19th South
March 12, 2020 / junior:  30th national, 19th South
April 10, 2019 / sophomore:  7th South
March 13, 2019 / sophomore:  12th national, 7th South
May 23, 2018 / freshman:  42nd national, 18th South
April 11, 2018 / freshman:  46th national, 16th South
March 14, 2018 / freshman:  tied for 50th national, 17th South

Doubles
Nov. 19, 2020 / senior:  9th national, 3rd South (with Santiago Perez)
April 16, 2020 / junior:  4th national, 3rd South (with Santiago Perez)
March 12, 2020 / junior:  4th national, 3rd South (with Santiago Perez)
May 22, 2019 / sophomore:  3rd national, 3rd South (with Santiago Perez)
April 10, 2019 / sophomore:  6th national, 4th South (with Santiago Perez)
March 13, 2019 / sophomore:  7th national, 4th South (with Santiago Perez)
May 23, 2018 / freshman:  4th national, 4th South (with Antoine Richard)
April 11, 2018 / freshman:  3rd national, 3rd South (with Antoine Richard)
March 14, 2018 / freshman:  17th national, 6th South (with Samir Chikhaoui)

Favorites
Food:  Biryani (an Indian dish)
Candy:  Ferrero Rocher
Pizza toppings:  Jalapenos, feta cheese, spinach, red chiles
Ice cream flavor:  Chocolate
Cake:  Chocolate
Flower:  Rose
Color:  Black
Vacation destination:  Bali, Indonesia

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 2017-18Freshman

    5'10" 148 lbs
  • 2018-19Sophomore

    5'10" 148 lbs
  • 2019-20Junior

    5'10" 148 lbs
  • 2020-21Senior

    5'10" 148 lbs