The Australian Open is upon us! As the year kicks off with what is bound to be another action-packed grand slam, we’re excited to support our Team Solinco athletes competing in the qualifying rounds of the tournament. Below are the Team Solinco athletes to watch.
Aziz Dougaz
Country: Tunisia
Equipment: Hyper-G
Singles Ranking: 214
Meet one of our newest Team Solinco athletes: Aziz Dougaz, nicknamed ‘La Doug,’ from Tunisia. Aziz began playing tennis at age 5 with his dad. At 15, he moved to France for tennis training. Aziz’s talent earned him a scholarship at 16 to an ITF facility in Morocco after reaching the African championships final. He spent 3.5 years playing college tennis at Florida State University, pursuing a sport management degree from 2016 to 2019.
Aziz’s favorite tournament is the Australian Open. Beyond tennis, he lives by the advice to embrace each day fully, giving his all on and off the court. His philosophy: give every point your all. He says: “This advice helps me as a tennis player. I’m thinking to play every point 100 per cent and that’s all you can do. It doesn’t matter, win or lose, you’ll be happy and proud of yourself at the end of the day.”
Benjamin Hassan
Country: Germany
Equipment: Tour Bite
Singles Ranking: 149
Benjamin Hassan is a newcomer to watch in this year’s Australian Open Qualifiers. He holds both German and Lebanese citizenship and has represented Lebanon in the Davis Cup. Hassan reached the finals of the 2023 Lisboa Belém Open, and achieved a milestone by qualifying for his ATP debut at the 2023 Stockholm Open.
Notably, he secured a spot in his first ATP 500 event, the 2023 Swiss Indoors in Basel, where he defeated Hamad Medjedovic and Dominik Koepfer but faced a tough loss against local wildcard Dominic Stricker. His accomplishments propelled him into the top 150 rankings on November 6, 2023. In an interview with Tennis Net Benjamin said: “Playing Grand Slam qualifiers is still a dream I want to fulfill. But I try to take it easy without building up too much pressure.”
Maxime Cressy
Country: Germany
Equipment: Tour Bite
Singles Ranking: 149
Maxime Cressy has been making his comeback on the ATP Tour. He’s been with Team Solinco since his college days in 2017 and has stuck with Tour Bite ever since. He began playing tennis 4-years-old, hitting balls against the wall alongside his brothers. By 12, he began training with the French federation in Boulouris. Cressy played tennis for UCLA while pursuing a major in math. Cressy aspires to revive the serve-and-volley style, aiming to inspire others to embrace this game approach. Pete Sampras is his childhood idol. During changeovers, he often reads a passage from his notebook that says: “Instill doubt.”
Jana Kolodynska
Country: Belarus
Equipment: Tour Bite Soft
Singles Ranking: 228
Jana Kolodynska has recently joined the ranks of Team Solinco. At nearly 6-feet tall with an athletic build and a captivating smile, Jana stands out on court.
In 2019 and 2020, she reached the singles finals at the prestigious Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl junior events two years in a row. Jana is inspired by Maria Sharapova, admiring Sharapova’s tenacity and on-court presence. Simona Halep and Novak Djokovic are also among her favorite tennis players.
If she hadn’t pursued a career in tennis, Jana would be a veterinarian. She plans to work with animal welfare organizations in the future.
Team Solinco Qualifiers Roster
Men’s
Aziz Dougaz – Hyper-G
Jan Choinski – Tour Bite
Maxime Cressy – Tour Bite
Benjamin Hassan – Tour Bite
Ricardo Bonadio – Tour Bite
Raul Brancaccio – Tour Bite
Marco Trungelliti – Confidential
Nicholas Kicker – Confidential
Women’s
Jana Kolodynska – Tour Bite Soft