Hiiro Sakamoto faced a turbulent opening month following his transfer to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, battling a steep language barrier and overwhelming campus scale.
Sakamoto, who previously competed at Troy University where over 70% of the tennis roster spoke Spanish as a first language, encountered a locker room where the majority of players spoke fast-paced English loaded with unfamiliar slang.
“This was a shock for me because I thought my English had improved significantly during my two years at Troy, and I felt like I was back to square one,” Sakamoto wrote in a personal update detailing his transition.
The sudden shift in environment and team culture left the athlete feeling isolated and hesitant to interact with peers. He said that finding refuge on the tennis court, spending time with German freshman roommate Ben, and carving out solitary breaks for meals and television helped ease the adjustment.
On the court, Sakamoto and his coaches immediately targeted his backhand by implementing rising shots rather than relying entirely on defensive slices or deep positioning. The technical adjustment yielded immediate dividends at the Elon Invitational, where Sakamoto swept his matches to finish the tournament with a 7–0 record.
The strong start allowed him to showcase his development directly to the coaching staff. However, an attempt to radically overhaul his playing style further during the subsequent Liberty Hidden Dual resulted in a sluggish 1–2 singles performance alongside three doubles victories.
Following the Liberty event, Sakamoto returned to his foundational strengths ahead of the fall Regionals. The reset paid off as he advanced through two qualifying rounds and two main draw matches, finishing among the tournament’s last 16 players.
His run included a straight-sets victory over an opponent from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sakamoto said that 15 of the remaining 16 players represented Power 4 athletic conferences, a first for his collegiate career.
That performance earned him a selection for the AAC Individual Tournament, though he struggled to maintain momentum and exited in the second round of doubles and the opening round of singles. Sakamoto attributed the dip in form to overconfidence following his Regionals success.
During the subsequent break from competition, Sakamoto focused heavily on refining his serve, strengthening his physical conditioning in the gym, and sharpening his mental approach. He reported experiencing some of his best career tennis by systematically mapping his game style against opponents to construct optimal point patterns.
Sakamoto plans to compete in an upcoming home tournament at Charlotte before taking an early December trip to Japan, where he is scheduled to play in a UTR tournament at his alma mater, Aioigakuin High School.
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