Blaž Rola
Slovenian tennis player (born 1990)
Blaž Rola (born 5 October 1990) is a Slovenian tennis player.
His highest career ranking is No. 78 in singles and No. 186 in doubles. In his career, he has won one ATP 250 series doubles title, nine singles and six doubles ITF Futures tournaments and five ATP Challenger in singles and eight in doubles. He represents Slovenia on the Slovenia Davis Cup team . In the 2013 Mediterranean Games in Mersin , Turkey , he won gold in singles and doubles.[ 1] [ 2]
Personal life
Rola was born in Ptuj , the oldest Slovenian town, to father Marijan Rola and mother Majda Rola. He was four years old when he started playing tennis and when he was six he joined the Tennis Club Terme Ptuj where he spent the most of his youth. He went to High school in Ptuj.[ 3] In 2010 he moved to the United States where he studied at and competed in tennis for Ohio State University until 2013. In January 2019 he and his fiancée Slovenian blogger Vanesa Rola, who was his long-term girlfriend, welcomed daughter Izabela. The same year he married Vanesa.
College career
He competed for Ohio State University from 2010 to 2013, winning the NCAA doubles championship in 2012 and the NCAA singles championship in 2013.
Professional career
2008–2013
In 2008 he began his professional career when he performed his first tournaments in ITF Futures and ATP Challenger Tour series.
In 2010 he represented Slovenia for the first time in Davis Cup and moved to study and play tennis in United States.
At 2013 Mediterranean Games he won 2 gold medals and made big progress when he reached Top 200 on ATP rankings for the first time in his career. In this period he won 9 Futures singles and 6 doubles titles and 1 title in doubles in Challenger series.
2014: Grand Slam and top 100 debut
Through qualifications he reached the main draw of Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the 2014 Australian Open . He lost in second round against Martin Kližan . With this result he became the fifth Slovene male player to reach the main draw of any Grand Slam.
In May he reached Top 100 in the ATP rankings and played in the qualifications for the 2014 French Open where her lost in the third round to James Ward .
In June he played his first ATP 250 series tournament on grass. At the 2014 Aegon Championships , London and the 2014 Aegon International , Eastbourne he lost in the first round on both occasions. He played in the main draw of 2014 Wimbledon Championships for the first time in his career and lost 1–6, 1–6, 0–6 in the second round against Andy Murray .[ 4]
2015: Career-high ranking
He reached a career-high ranking in singles of No. 78 on 5 January 2015.
2021: Fifth Challenger title
At the 2021 Zadar Open he won his seventh Challenger doubles title partnering his good friend Blaž Kavčič .
At the 2021 Split Open he defeated Kavčič to win his fifth Challenger singles title.[ 5]
2023: Maiden ATP title
At the 2023 Croatia Open Umag he won his first ATP title partnering with Nino Serdarušić .
ATP career finals
Doubles: 1 (1 title)
Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0–0)
ATP World Tour 500 Series (0–0)
ATP World Tour 250 Series (1–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (0–0)
Clay (1–0)
Grass (0–0)
Finals by setting
Outdoor (1–0)
Indoor (0–0)
Challenger and Futures finals
Singles: 29 (15–14)
Legend (singles)
ATP Challenger Tour (5–8)
ITF Futures Tour (10–6)
Titles by surface
Hard (4–2)
Clay (11–12)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Result
W–L
Date
Tournament
Tier
Surface
Opponent
Score
Loss
0–1
May 2010
Slovenia F1, Kamnik
Futures
Clay
Marcel Zimmermann
6–3, 2–6, 4–6
Win
1–1
Jun 2010
Slovenia F3, Maribor
Futures
Clay
György Balázs
2–6, 6–4, 6–4
Loss
1–2
Jul 2010
Italy F18, Modena
Futures
Clay
Matteo Viola
1–6, 6–4, 1–6
Win
2–2
Aug 2010
Austria F3, Bad Waltersdorf
Futures
Clay
Pascal Brunner
7–5, 6–3
Win
3–2
Jul 2012
USA F17, Innisbrook
Futures
Clay
Luis David Martínez
6–2, 6–1
Loss
3–3
Jul 2012
Austria F1, Telfs
Futures
Clay
Marc Rath
6–2, 3–6, 2–6
Win
4–3
Jul 2012
Austria F3, Bad Waltersdorf
Futures
Clay
Nicolas Reissig
6–3, 6–2
Loss
4–4
Aug 2012
Croatia F7, Čakovec
Futures
Clay
Peter Heller
4–6, 0–6
Win
5–4
Aug 2012
Croatia F8, Vinkovci
Futures
Clay
Toni Androić
6–2, 6–2
Win
6–4
Sep 2012
Austria F9, Vogau
Futures
Clay
Andreas Haider-Maurer
6–2, 7–6(7–5)
Win
7–4
Jun 2013
Mexico F12, Quintana Roo
Futures
Hard
José Pereira
7–6(8–6) , 6–4
Loss
7–5
Aug 2013
Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
Challenger
Clay
Agustín Velotti
3–6, 4–6
Win
8–5
Aug 2013
Poland F5, Bytom
Futures
Clay
Filip Krajinović
w/o
Win
9–5
Oct 2013
Armenia F2, Yerevan
Futures
Clay
Boy Westerhof
6–2, 6–4
Loss
9–6
Oct 2013
Croatia F11, Dubrovnik
Futures
Clay
Janez Semrajc
4–6, 7–5, 3–6
Win
10–6
Mar 2014
Guangzhou , China, P.R.
Challenger
Hard
Yūichi Sugita
6–7(4–7) , 6–4, 6–3
Loss
10–7
Mar 2014
Panama City , Panama
Challenger
Clay
Pere Riba
5–7, 7–5, 2–6
Loss
10–8
Apr 2014
São Paulo , Brazil
Challenger
Clay
Rogério Dutra Silva
4–6, 2–6
Loss
10–9
Jul 2014
Poznań , Poland
Challenger
Clay
David Goffin
4–6, 2–6
Win
11–9
Apr 2015
Santos , Brazil
Challenger
Clay
Germain Gigounon
6–3, 3–6, 6–3
Loss
11–10
Jun 2016
Perugia , Italy
Challenger
Clay
Nicolás Kicker
6–2, 3–6, 0–6
Win
12–10
Apr 2017
Tallahassee , USA
Challenger
Clay
Ramkumar Ramanathan
6–2, 6–7(6–8) , 7–5
Loss
12–11
Mar 2018
Quijing , China, P.R.
Challenger
Hard
Malek Jaziri
6–7(5–7) , 1–6
Loss
12–12
Apr 2018
Panama City , Panama
Challenger
Clay
Carlos Berlocq
2–6, 0–6
Loss
12–13
Oct 2018
Las Vegas , USA
Challenger
Hard
Thanasi Kokkinakis
4–6, 4–6
Win
13–13
Apr 2019
León , Mexico
Challenger
Hard
Liam Broady
6–4, 4–6, 6–3
Win
14–13
Apr 2021
Split , Croatia
Challenger
Clay
Blaž Kavčič
2–6, 6–3, 6–2
Win
15–13
Apr 2023
M15 Monastir , Tunisia
World Tennis Tour
Hard
Adrien Gobat
7–6(7–4) , 6–2
Loss
15–14
May 2024
M15 Celje , Slovenia
World Tennis Tour
Clay
Joao Eduardo Schiessl
6–4, 6–7(4–7) , 1–6
Doubles: 23 (15–8)
Legend (doubles)
ATP Challenger Tour (9–5)
ITF Futures Tour (6–3)
Titles by surface
Hard (4–4)
Clay (10–4)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (1–0)
Result
W–L
Date
Tournament
Tier
Surface
Partner
Opponents
Score
Win
1–0
Oct 2009
Croatia F9, Dubrovnik
Futures
Clay
Martin Rmuš
Morgan Phillips Antonio Šančić
6–3, 7–6(9–7)
Loss
1–1
May 2010
Bosnia & Herzegovina F3, Doboj
Futures
Clay
Martin Rmuš
Michael Linzer Herbert Wiltschnig
w/o
Win
2–1
Jun 2010
Slovenia F3, Maribor
Futures
Clay
Martin Rmuš
Javier Martí Sergio Pérez Pérez
6–3, 6–3
Loss
2–2
Aug 2011
Croatia F7, Vinkovci
Futures
Clay
Mislav Hižak
Tomislav Brkić Marin Franjičević
6–3, 3–6, [7–10]
Win
3–2
Jul 2012
USA F17, Innisbrook
Futures
Clay
Chase Buchanan
Keith-Patrick Crowley Joshua Zavala
6–4, 6–2
Win
4–2
Jul 2012
Austria F1, Telfs
Futures
Clay
Tomislav Ternar
Stefan Hirn Sebastian Stiefelmeyer
6–2, 7–5
Loss
4–3
Aug 2012
Croatia F7, Čakovec
Futures
Clay
Tomislav Ternar
Thibault Venturino Janoš Žibrat
3–6, 4–6
Win
5–3
Aug 2012
Croatia F8, Vinkovci
Futures
Clay
Mislav Hižak
Tomislav Brkić Aldin Šetkić
6–4, 7–6(7–3)
Win
6–3
Sep 2012
Austria F9, Vogau
Futures
Clay
Ruben Gonzales
Lukas Jastraunig Tristan-Samuel Weissborn
6–2, 6–2
Loss
6–4
Jul 2013
Portorož , Slovenia
Challenger
Hard
Aljaž Bedene
Marin Draganja Mate Pavić
3–6, 6–1, [5–10]
Win
7–4
Nov 2013
Toyota , Japan
Challenger
Carpet (i)
Chase Buchanan
Marcus Daniell Artem Sitak
4–6, 6–3, [10–4]
Loss
7–5
Jan 2014
Nouméa , New Caledonia
Challenger
Hard
Ante Pavić
Austin Krajicek Tennys Sandgren
6–7(4–7) , 3–6
Loss
7–6
Feb 2014
Chennai , India
Challenger
Hard
Sriram Balaji
Yuki Bhambri Michael Venus
4–6, 6–7(3–7)
Win
8–6
May 2015
São Paulo , Brazil
Challenger
Clay
Chase Buchanan
Guido Andreozzi Sergio Galdós
6–4, 6–4
Win
9–6
Sep 2015
Cary , USA
Challenger
Hard
Chase Buchanan
Austin Krajicek Nicholas Monroe
6–4, 6–7(5–7) , [10–4]
Win
10–6
Sep 2015
Columbus , USA
Challenger
Hard (i)
Chase Buchanan
Mitchell Krueger Eric Quigley
6–4, 4–6, [19–17]
Win
11–6
Oct 2017
Lima , Peru
Challenger
Clay
Miguel Ángel Reyes-Varela
Gonçalo Oliveira Grzegorz Panfil
7–5, 6–3
Loss
11–7
Jun 2018
Caltanissetta , Italy
Challenger
Clay
Jiří Veselý
Federico Gaio Andrea Pellegrino
6–7(4–7) , 6–7(5–7)
Win
12–7
Nov 2019
Charlottesville , USA
Challenger
Hard
Mitchell Krueger
Sekou Bangoura Blaz Kavcic
6–4, 6–1
Win
13–7
Mar 2021
Zadar , Croatia
Challenger
Clay
Blaž Kavčič
Lukáš Klein Alex Molčan
2–6, 6–2, [10–3]
Win
14–7
Nov 2021
Knoxville , USA
Challenger
Hard (i)
Malek Jaziri
Hans Hach Verdugo Miguel Ángel Reyes-Varela
3–6, 6–3, [10–5]
Loss
14–8
Jan 2022
Bendigo , Australia
Challenger
Hard
Enzo Couacaud
Ruben Bemelmans Daniel Masur
6–7(2–7) , 4–6
Win
15–8
Sep 2023
Tulln an der Donau , Austria
Challenger
Clay
Zdenek Kolar
Piotr Matuszewski Kai Wehnelt
6–4, 4–6, [10–6]
Key
W
F
SF
QF
#R
RR
Q#
P#
DNQ
A
Z#
PO
G
S
B
NMS
NTI
P
NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.
* As of 26 May 2022[update]
Record against other players
Rola's match record against those who have been ranked in the top 10. Players who have been No. 1 are in boldface
* As of 26 May 2021[update] .
Davis Cup
Group membership
World Group (0–0)
Group I (7–4)
Group II (2–3)
Group III (0–0)
Group IV (0–0)
Matches by surface
Hard (4–2)
Clay (5–5)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Matches by Location
Outdoor (5–3)
Indoor (4–4)
Matches by Type
Singles (6–4)
Doubles (3–3)
Davis Cup results
Rubber outcome
No.
Rubber
Match type (partner if any)
Opponent nation
Opponent player(s)
Score
5–0; 9–11 July 2010 ; TK Krka Otočec, Otočec , Slovenia; Europe/Africa Group II Second Round ; Clay
Victory
1.
IV (dead rubber)
Singles
Bulgaria
Valentin Dimov
6–0, 6–1
4–1; 13–15 Sep 2013 ; Park Tivoli , Ljubljana , Slovenia; Europe/Africa Group I First Round Play-Off ; Clay
Victory
2.
I
Singles
South Africa
Rik de Voest
6–1, 6–1, 6–4
Victory
3.
III
Doubles (with Blaž Kavčič )
Raven Klaasen / Nicolaas Scholtz
7–5, 6–1, 7–6(7–4)
Defeat
4.
V (dead rubber)
Singles
Nicolaas Scholtz
3–2 ret.
1–3; 4–6 Apr 2014 ; ŠRC Marina Portorož, Portorož , Slovenia; Europe/Africa Group I Second Round ; Clay
Victory
5.
II
Singles
Israel
Dudi Sela
6–3, 6–4, 6–4
Defeat
6.
III
Doubles (with Grega Žemlja )
Jonathan Erlich / Andy Ram
6–7(7–9) , 6–4, 6–7(5–7) , 3–6
5–0; 30 Oct – 1 Nov 2015 ; Teniski klub Triglav Kranj, Kranj , Slovenia; Europe/Africa Group I Second Round Play-Off ; Hard (i)
Victory
7.
II
Singles
Lithuania
Laurynas Grigelis
7–6(8–6) , 6–2, 6–2
Victory
8.
III
Doubles (with Blaž Kavčič )
Laurynas Grigelis / Lukas Mugevičius
6–4, 7–6(7–1) , 6–4
Victory
9.
IV (dead rubber)
Singles
Lukas Mugevičius
6–2, 6–2
1–4; 4–6 Mar 2016 ; Sala Sporturilor, Arad , Romania; Europe/Africa Group I First Round ; Hard (i)
Defeat
10.
I
Singles
Romania
Marius Copil
5–7, 3–6, 6–7(5–7)
Defeat
11.
III
Doubles (with Grega Žemlja )
Florin Mergea / Horia Tecău
3–6, 6–7(5–7) , 6–7(3–7)
Defeat
12.
II
Singles
Adrian Ungur
6–3, 6–4
2–3; 3–4 Feb 2018 ; Lukna Sports Hall, Maribor , Slovenia; Europe/Africa Group II First Round ; Hard (i)
Victory
13.
II
Singles
Poland
Kamil Majchrzak
4–6, 2–6
Defeat
14.
III
Doubles (with Aljaž Bedene )
Mateusz Kowalczyk / Marcin Matkowski
7–5, 6–7(5–7) , 4–6
3–1; 13–14 Sep 2019 ; Gezira Sporting Club , Cairo , Egypt; Europe/Africa Group I First Round ; Clay
Defeat
15.
II
Singles
Egypt
Mohamed Safwat
4–6, 6–1, 6–7(4–7)
Victory
16.
III
Doubles (with Aljaž Bedene )
Sherif Sabry / Mohamed Safwat
7–5, 6–3
References
External links