TUSCALOOSA | First he had to learn what it was like to be at the University of Alabama, not to mention America and in the regular lineup for the Crimson Tide men’s tennis team.

Then, this academic year, he had to adjust to playing No. 1 singles and facing the opposition’s best player on a regular basis.

Next up for Saketh Myneni is learning how to close matches on a regular basis, especially after 19 of his 41 singles matches this past season went three sets. It begins this weekend, when Myneni will help lead the Tide into the NCAA Tournament, where it hopes to at least equal last year’s round of 16 finish.

“When it gets to four-all in the third set, you just have to believe,” coach Billy Pate said. “I told him one day, ‘Do me a favor, go home this weekend and grab a dictionary. Look up the word intangible and tell me what it says.’

“He needs to watch GameDay. Intangibles, that something that’s very true in tennis as well. You need to be a little more gritty, a little more determined and mentally tough. It’ll come.”

Considering that the native of Andhra Pradesh, India is only a sophomore, he’s already been tremendously successful on the Capstone. A year ago, when Myneni finished his rookie season at No. 6 singles, he was also playing through a painful stress fracture.

After making what junior teammate and doubles partner Andrew Felsenthal called “huge” leap up the roster, he’s second-team All-SEC and ranked No. 95 nationally.

“It’s pretty much a lot of things on your shoulders,” he said. “It’s a great honor for me to be playing number-one singles, compared to number six at the end of last year.

“Playing one, you’re leading your team.”

One of nine SEC teams to receive an NCAA invitation, Alabama opens today against South Alabama (15-6). Should it advance, the Tide will play the winner of Samford (15-8) vs. host Florida State (19-6), seeded 14th, at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center.

“It’s about as good of a draw as we could expect,” Pate said after Alabama was a bubble team to host a regional before it was upset in the first round of the SEC tournament to South Carolina — which desperately needed a win in hopes of landing its NCAA bid.

Myneni lost to the Gamecocks and Yevgeny Supeko in yet another three-set match, 6-7, 6-3, 5-7. That’s sort of been typical of late for the 21-year-old who won his fair share of matches down the stretch as well.

Since mid-February, when Alabama lost to No. 7 Texas, No. 15 Washington, and No. 14 Boise State at the ITA National Team Indoors in Seattle, most of his singles matches have gone to the final set. The odd thing was the opponent seemingly almost didn’t matter, whether it was No. 8 Matthais Wellermann of Ole Miss, or No. 117 Kaden Hensel of Tennessee.

“Obviously there’s an adjustment and I think he had to sort of grow into the role of being a starter, first,” Pate said. “At the same time, the up-side in his game was always evident. Obviously size is a factor. He’s 6-5, and kind of gangly, but those are usually the guys who can hit the ball leverage-wise with the most pop in terms of their serve and being more aggressive.

“In terms of his game, there was always the potential to play really high-up in the lineup.”

It didn’t really begin to happen until Myneni had a chance to add some weight and grow more accustomed to his surroundings. That included things away from the court, like developing a taste for the local cuisine and culture — although after growing up in India he can still handle the South’s spiciest foods like most people do water.

“I swear I think he knows everyone on campus,” Felsenthal said. “He’s really strong academically.

“In tennis he’s beginning to pull it all together. He’s really matured.”