Jose Marval wins Baird Iowa Open singles title

CEDAR RAPIDS - One set into the match on Sunday, Westfield Tennis Club Pro Jose Marval was struggling.

He was playing in the Baird Iowa Open at the Veterans Memorial Tennis Complex, and it was the championship match of the men's open singles. Trent Schneider, a senior on the Luther College tennis team, just beat him in the first set 6-1.

So before the two resumed play, Marval decided he needed to make a change. He stripped off his plain gray shirt, replacing it with a bright orange one.

Suddenly, Marval was on top of his game. He swept Schneider 6-0 in the second set, and then took the tiebreaker set 10-4 to win the tournament.

'I don't think (it was the shirt),” Marval said jokingly. 'But it was a matter of changing something. I felt like I need some change. I took more time between points, and thought about points better and started making better shots and making better selections. That turned out well for me.”

After the first set, though, it looked like the match was going to be Schneider's. He dominated the court, winning four straight games before allowing Marval to take one.

It didn't look as if Marval had a way to get past the Iowa City West graduate.

'I took the ball early,” Schneider said. 'I definitely hit my spots, that's for sure. I had him on the run, and it also helped that he made a few mistakes as well. But I was also serving better, so that kind of went away after that first set.”

Yet after he found his groove, and changed his shirt, Marval was an unstoppable force.

'I feel like it was a matter of settling down on the court, getting the ball in play and move him around and hope for mistakes,” Marval said. 'He started to play a little bit worse, and I started playing better and I think that turned around the match.”

Marval and Schneider's singles match was one of dozens played Sunday at the tennis complex. The three-day tournament offered multiple different divisions for both men and women, drawing some pretty impressive talent in former high school players, current and former collegiate players and even some amateurs.

The Baird Iowa Open is an Iowa summer tradition, drawing players from all over the Midwest to its event each year. In fact, after getting started in the 1920s, it's the longest consecutively run tournament in the state of Iowa.

Yet for Marval, he's just in it for the fun. When he's not on the court teaching lessons at the Westfield Tennis Club, he said he's playing in a few minor tournaments around the state.

And after winning the singles division in Cedar Rapids, Marval said he's thrilled to defend his hometown.

'I'm always trying to improve, and we're (on the court) most of the time,” Marval said. 'Being on the court a lot helps me with my confidence and obviously with my game here. It feels good to win at home.”

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