Tyler wins Iowa Open title

Matthew Tyler, the No. 1 ranked tennis player in Iowa, defeated Tom Jennings of Cedar Rapids, 6-2, 6-1, to take the Iowa Open men's singles championship Sunday at Veteran's Memorial Tennis Center.

Tyler lost to Patrick Callaghan in last year's final, a loss that has been on his mind since despite many other success in the past year.

"It feels good to win the Iowa Open," Tyler said. "It's a tournament I've been thinking about for the last year."

Tyler has won several tournaments since last year's loss, earning the No. 1 ranking in the state from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and also was named Coach of the Year in the Iowa Conference after coaching Wartburg College to a third place conference finish.

"It was a tremendous accolade for me," he said. "It was my first year and I had some great guys who were willing to work hard. So I have to give full credit to my players for putting in the work."

The field at the Iowa Open was challenging, he said.

"There were a lot of good, young guys in the field this year," he said. "I think I was the oldest guy in the draw at 30. Maybe not, but close to it anyway."

Tyler hopes his success also will help him with recruiting at Wartburg.

"It always helps with the recruiting process to have people know that I can compete," he said. "Hopefully they see that I know the game of tennis and can play and that will translate into their improvement if they come to Wartburg College."

Tyler's successful summer has included playing in San Diego at the U.S. National Hardcourt Tournament.

"I won a couple rounds out there, which exceeded my expectations," he said Tyler.

He returned home and won the Waterloo Open, the Hawkeye Open in Des Moines, the Quad States Open in Moline, Ill., the Michelob Open in Des Moines, and was a semifinalist in the Mississippi Valley Open in Dubuque.

"It's been a great summer," Tyler said. "At 30 years old to be playing my best tennis is pretty fun."

Tyler admitted that playing right now takes back seat to his coaching. But if his body holds up he's going to keep competing.

"I like to keep my skills pretty sharp so that I can give my players a good workout," he said.