Furman junior John Chesworth returned to his native England this summer and enjoyed great success on the grass courts for which his country is known. He then followed up an outstanding summer overseas with a jumpstart to the 2002 season by winning last weekend's Clemson Fall Classic. 

Chesworth, who competed mainly at No. 3 singles during Furman's 2001 campaign, played an integral role in Furman's Southern Conference Championship season and run to the NCAA Tournament. During the summer, Chesworth collected three singles titles and one doubles championship on England's grass courts. The last of these was at the prestigious Worthing Girobank Open, where he had to fight through the qualifying rounds before entering the main draw. On his way to the title, Chesworth beat six higher ranked players and was taken to three sets only once.  

He has since returned to the United States, where his success has not waned. Last weekend, Chesworth fought through a field of 64 players to win the Clemson Fall Classic singles tournament. He and partner James Cameron also made the semifinals of the Southern Collegiate Championships at the University of Georgia, where they were seeded No. 4 and defeated teams from Auburn and South Alabama.

Chesworth, a former top 20 junior in Great Britain, has previously won several major junior and senior championships in England, but winning at the Worthing Girobank Open is by far his best achievement to date and took the organizers by surprise. Chesworth, however, was not so stunned, nor was Furman men's tennis head coach Paul Scarpa.

"John has a great serve and all the shots for playing grass court tennis," said Scarpa, who collected his 700th career victory in 2001, becoming only the fourth college tennis coach to reach the milestone. "He is developing into a formidable college player and last season had a 75 percent success rate in a tough schedule."

Chesworth is equally complimentary about the coaching staff at Furman.  

"Coach Scarpa and assistant coach Steve Dahm did a great job on my return game last year. It was that rather than my serve which won me the tournament."

Chesworth also says that college tennis has helped him become a more solid player and much harder to beat, adding, "I was surprised I had to qualify. I don't think people in England realize how tough college tennis is at Furman's level. I am really pleased I chose Furman. It's not only a great place to live and study but a great place to improve your tennis.  The schedule includes some of the nation's top teams and I can't wait to get out there next season with the rest of the guys."

He says his goals next year are to improve on last year's season-high national doubles ranking of No. 21 with partner and fellow junior Cameron and to help the team move further up the rankings from the 50's and 60's position the Paladins held for most of the season. Chesworth cites beating such teams as No. 26 North Carolina and North Carolina State in 2001, along with returning 20 of 23 members of last year's squad, as reasons for optimism for the 2002 season.

"A lot rests on James Cameron and me to play to our full potential," said Chesworth. "Most of our opponents are strong. It's up to Cameron and me and perhaps one of last year's talented freshmen for us to be successful. We have a young and hungry team, and I am sure coach Scarpa will get the best out of us."