Career: Through two seasons of competition, he ranks sixth all-time at Emory in singles winning percentage (.809, 34-8).
Sophomore (2019-20):
Continued his solid play ... Captured All-UAA honors at No. 3 singles ... All-UAA performer at No. 3 doubles with Hassan Kenawi ... Ended the shortened year second on the team in singles victories, fashioning a 12-4 slate ... Posted a 5-1 mark at No. 3 singles ... Posted successful results in seven of his last eight decisions dating from the fall portion of the schedule ... Held down the No. 30 spot in the D-III national singles rankings and was seventh in the Atlantic South Region ... Won his five opening matches at the ITA South Region Championships before coming up short to teammate Antonio Mora in the finals ... Competed at the ITA Cup and won two of his three singles matches including verdicts over Matthew Michibata of TCNJ, 6-1, 6-1, and Will Leach of George Fox, 7-5, 6-2 ... Won two of three singles matches at the ITA National Indoor Championships ... Registered a 12-1 record in doubles action ... Teamed with Hassan Kenawi to forge a 6-0 ledger during the spring with five of those wins coming at No. 3 ... The Esses/Kenawi tandem won all three of their encounters at the ITA National Indoor Championships including an 8-7 outcome against the Brandeis team of Colt Tegtmeier/Rajan Vohra that gave the Eagles their lone point in the doubles portion of the match.
Freshman (2018-19): Fine initial season with the program ... Bolstered the singles lineup, finishing with an overall mark of 22-4 (9-1 at No. 5) with his victory total third on the squad ... .846 singles winning percentage placed him 23rd on the school's seasonal chart ... Closed out the year with a flourish, winning his last 13 matches that were played to decision ... Put Emory ahead by a 4-2 count after registering a 6-4, 6-1 triumph vs. Nate Eazor in the team's 5-3 victory vs. Middlebury in the semifinals of the NCAA D-III Championships ... Recorded the Eagles' clinching point in a 5-1 outcome over Brandeis in the title match of the UAA Championships, bettering Rajan Vohra at fifth singles, 6-2, 6-2 ... Helped in a 6-3 decision over No. 5 Williams with a come-from-behind, 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 verdict over Calvin Chung at No. 5 singles ... Won his opening five outings and advanced to the finals of the ITA South Region Championships, where he came up short against teammate Jonathan Jemison ... Captured singles victories at the No. 5 position in aiding the Eagles to wins over No. 12 Pomona-Pitzer and No. 13 Whitman in the opening two matches at the ITA National Indoor Championships ... Posted an overall record of 7-2 in doubles ... Paired up with Antonio Mora and won the first three matches en route to a spot in the semifinals of the ITA South Region Championships ... Strong doubles performance with James Spaulding with the pair winning four straight outings and advancing to the championship match of the Grizzly Open (Oct. 12-14).
High School:
Four-year member of the tennis program at Memorial Senior High School ... Was coached by Budd Booth ... Served as team captain his final season ... Named the All-Greater Houston Boy's Tennis Player of the Year ... Helped guide Memorial to the program's first-ever state title ... Won the Class 6A Mixed Doubles state title as a senior ... Played at the No. 1 spot in both singles and doubles his final two years ... Tennis Recruiting Network had him as the 11th-ranked player in the state of Texas and 12th in the Gulf States Region ... Academic All-State honoree on three occasions.
Personal:
Son of Andrew and Caroline Esses ... Born Mar. 17 ... Majors in business administration.
Quote:
"I chose Emory because I get the best balance between great academics, great athletics and a great location. But, most importantly, the team is a family."
