FARMERS HARVESTS TALES OF REDEMPTION
By Josh Gajewski
LOS ANGELES — It was just too good a tale to come true.
The fable of the little guy who had nothing – no swagger, no ATP titles and no pedigree – should have had a sweet ending.
After all, the Ricardas Berankis story was quite the poignant narrative. Despite years of sorrow and injuries, the fresh-faced, vertically challenged wannabe from a little land far away kept on winning and winning until his coach (or should we say his father figure) came almost 6,000 miles to La La Land to his beloved pupil’s side for his 15 minutes of tennis fame.
But tennis’ latest tale of an improbable long shot with a heart-wrenching back story failed to give us a fairytale ending. For a 6′ 6 giant from Thousand Oaks was not in the mood for such syrupy things. And in fact, Sam Querrey had his own comeback story to tell. And he told it quickly.
At the 86th Farmers Classic, Querrey quelled Berankis, an eager Lithuanian who became the first person from his country to reach a pro final, 6-0, 6-2. At 51 minutes, it was the shortest ATP final of the season. But for Querrey, it was also the end of a two-year wait.
The 24-year-old – who now lives in Dallas but while in L.A. stayed at his parents’ home in Santa Monica – had won the tournament in 2009 and 2010. Elbow surgery prevented him from a three-peat attempt in 2011, and his return from that procedure had been bumpy; his world ranking fell from No. 17 to as low as No. 125.
But on a sunny Sunday – and throughout the previous week – Sam Querrey played as if he never left. The last time he lifted the winner’s trophy, he’d saved a match point en route to a thrilling three-set triumph over Andy Murray. This one came easier, as he didn’t drop a set in the tournament. When Berankis’ final backhand sailed long, Querrey’s repaired arm relinquished his racket and closed into a fist.
Had it felt like it had been that long? “Yeah,” Querrey said of the two years between titles. “And it feels great to be back here.”
And then there was the journey of Berankis. The little Lithuanian – he’s listed at a generous 5’ 9 – reached the final with weary legs and a fast-beating heart. It probably wasn’t a good sign when he told ESPN’s Pam Shriver just before the start of the match that he was “very much looking forward to tomorrow” – before catching himself – “(I mean) today.”
“My nerves were playing me in the first set, that’s for sure,” Berankis admitted later. By the time he settled, it was too late.
But in spite of the quick defeat, and facing a hometown favorite, Berankis managed to win over L.A. For a week his beautiful play had won over fans, and then in the final it was his smile and the curious fact that he could still even smile, still have fun, in the face of disaster. Thirty-four minutes into the match, he hit a drop shot to finally win a game – 0-6, 1-3 – and he smiled sheepishly and held his racket up in triumph. The crowd went nuts, and his smile widened.
Watching from the second row, and smiling, too, was “Remi.” That would be Berankis’ coach, Remigijus Balzekas, who had hastily flown in the previous day, barely arriving in time to see his player advance to his first final.
When he was 9, Berankis moved to attend Balzekas’ tennis academy, and the two quickly became like father and son – or, as Berankis might say, like Uncle Toni and Rafa. Berankis also developed a brotherly bond with Balzekas’ son, an older junior who in the junior ranks had played tight matches with Roger Federer and Andy Roddick.
But in 2005, while in college in Florida, Aivaras Balzekas was pushing a friend’s stalled vehicle when a drunk driver plowed into him. He never recovered.
On a chain around his neck, Berankis wears the championship ring Aivaras won in college. Aivaras had given it to him two months before he died.
After the Farmers final, in a small room, Berankis looked toward his coach and said, “I think we have, together, reached two (of our) biggest achievements. The US Open – winning the 2007 juniors – and for sure today. So it’s an honor for me that he could come and we went through this together.”
And Balzekas said of the young Berankis, “If not for him, probably, I don’t know what could have happened with me, you know. It was a very, very tough time in my life. But he was, all the time, with me, and I with him.”
