CLINTON HILL — Just perfect. After their first seven matches, that’s exactly what the women’s tennis team is at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute.
A perfect 7-0.
Surprised? Not their coach.
“Based on the skill we have, I’m not at all surprised,” fourth-year coach Iñigo Torre Martin told the Brooklyn Eagle last week. “We’re strong from top to bottom. There’s not much of a drop from one. Our No. 6 can play No. 2. There’s not a big talent gap.”
But maybe it’s the coach that’s led to the recent tennis success for the Cannoneers. Under Torre Martin’s leadership, the women’s team has achieved a 20-4 record over two seasons. He also coaches the men – and both teams have competed in the Coast2Coast Championships.
Torre Martin knows a thing or two about winning in tennis. While living in Spain, he was ranked No. 3 in the under-18 category.
“Tennis,” he said, “is immensely popular in Spain.” He said it’s considered the second or third most followed sport after fútbol (soccer) – driven by icons like Rafael Nadal (22 Grand Slams) and Carlos Alcaraz.
As of 2023, there were 90,000 licensed tennis players in Spain, with the highest concentration in Catalonia and Madrid. Spain hosts significant Association of Tennis Professional and /Women’s Tennis Association events, including the Madrid Open and Barcelona Open.
And Torre Martin has brought some of that culture to Brooklyn – after a stellar career at Virginia Commonwealth University where he helped the Rams to four Atlantic 10 Conference titles – without dropping a set during their four title runs. He rewrote the VCU record book with a program-best 81 career doubles wins and sitting second all-time with 101 singles victories.
Inigo Torre Martin. Photo: Pratt athletics
“VCU was my very first visit to the United States,” he said, “I was clueless about colleges here. In the USA, you can play tennis and go to school at the same time. I thought it was great.”
His wife Lyndell, two years his senior, was a tennis player at the University of Richmond. “When she graduated,” Torre said, “She went to work in New York City. I followed her and wanted a coaching job.”
He said he hounded all the schools – but Pratt came out on top. “I didn’t mind at all that Pratt was not a Division I school,” he said, “In fact, it created more of a challenge, as I could do more player development, teach and see progress. It would be more rewarding, if done correctly.”
It was – and it has been.
“I liked the idea of being the first full-time tennis coach at Pratt,” he said. “And I love Pratt Institute’s reputation.”
Maybe not in tennis — but Pratt Institute is a globally renowned private college recognized for its top-ranked programs in architecture, interior design, industrial design, fashion and fine arts.
“I can easily see the difference in my players after four years of work,” he said. “There has been a growth in the Universal Tennis Rankings.”
He says his players are a combination between good tennis and architecture. “When I find that right fit,” he said, “It works.”
It’s worked with senior Srishti Agarwal, a 5-foot-6-inch senior from Gurugam, India, who was recently named the Atlantic East Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Week for the first time in her career.
She dropped just one game across two matches to help the Cannoneers secure a 7-0 road sweep of Immaculata. The senior stepped into the top doubles flight alongside junior Pallavi Verghese to claim a swift 6-1 victory. Transitioning to singles action, Agarwal delivered a dominant 6-0, 6-0 double-bagel triumph at the No. 2 spot.
The key, says the coach, is our player development practice system. “We train every single week,” he said, “And every week we focus on something different — forehand, backhand, slides, match play, doubles or angles. We work on different pieces of the game.
“And always keep trying to make it fun.”
He loves his players. They’re “good kids, no, great kids, with high GPAs,” he says.
“Tennis helps your academics,” he says. “It gives you more of an organized schedule. We have tutors for support and [to] help each other.”
Torre Martin won’t take any credit for the success. “Most of the time, I just tell them what to do – they do it,” he says. “These players need one another – it’s about accountability – that’s when real progress is made.”
As for living in Brooklyn, he says he saw more friends and family in one year than his entire career in Richmond, Virginia. “I love Brooklyn. It’s so diverse. Anything you want to do – you can do,” he said. “It’s truly amazing.”
What truly is amazing is his success with the Cannoneers – both men and women. “I can’t take all the credit,” he said. “ My wife coaches tennis in the summer. I get my advice on how to handle the ladies from her. She’s a former college player – and helps me from making enemies.”
The only enemies are the schools on Pratt’s schedule.
Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected]; X: @AndyFurmanFSR
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