When Sem Verbeek ’16 was in high school in the Netherlands, he emailed nearly every school in the United States that offered a pre-med degree to see if they would take him on as a tennis player.

University of the Pacific was the only one that returned his email.

“A lot of schools viewed me as a risk out of high school because I’d undergone hip surgery and didn’t have that many wins,” Verbeek said. “Pacific offered the major I was looking for, and I was thankful that head coach Ryan Redondo offered me the chance to play on the team as a walk-on.”

Twelve years later, Verbeek has a doubles ranking of No. 54 in the world and is preparing to compete in the U.S. Open. The tournament will be his third Grand Slam appearance of the year after playing in the French Open and Wimbledon, where he had a thrilling come-from-behind win in one match with his doubles partner, French tennis player Romain Arneodo.

“It was always a dream of mine playing in a Grand Slam, and the Wimbledon win was the happiest of my career. We arrived at Wimbledon as alternates and didn’t even know if we’d get a chance to play.

“We got off to a slow start and I think we were taken aback by the occasion, but we found our groove and managed to turn it around in the second and third sets,” Verbeek said. “Wimbledon is the biggest stage for most tennis players, and I can say I knocked off a bucket list item.”

While at Wimbledon, he met up with current Pacific head coach and reigning West Coast Conference Coach of the Year Robin Goodman who was in attendance as a spectator.

“Sem is a fantastic ambassador for Pacific and for our program,” Goodman said. “We all hear too often about the slim odds of being a professional player. Sem’s path is truly inspiring for all of us. He has proven that with consistent hard work and dedication, you can get a high-quality degree without compromising your dreams of being a professional player.”

After Wimbledon, Verbeek’s monster year continued as he won his first Association of Tennis Professionals title in July with Swedish tennis player and UC Berkeley alumnus Andre Goransson at the 2024 Hall of Fame Open in New Port, Rhode Island. It helped the duo earn a spot directly into the main draw of the U.S. Open.

Verbeek credits his coaches at Pacific with helping him develop into the player he is today.

“I wasn’t fully developed when I first got to college, but I must credit Coach Ryan and his staff with Coach Daniel Llarenas and Coach Adi Kremer for helping me grow,” Verbeek said. “I had opportunities to transfer to bigger schools, but I felt we had something special going at Pacific. The coaches weren’t as interested in wins as much as they were developing players, and it was the perfect fit for me.”

Verbeek won 36 matches as a freshman including 18 in singles and 18 in doubles. He was honored as the Big West Freshman of the Year in 2013 and earned All-Conference honors in singles and doubles.

Verbeek was put on scholarship as a sophomore and his career kept trending upward. In his senior season, he was named the 2016 West Coast Conference Player of the Year and currently stands second in career wins at Pacific with 125.

“Four years can really turn into a beautiful painting for anyone,” Verbeek said. “Pacific was the perfect university for me with the small class sizes and the personal relationships I formed with the professors—it was instrumental for me as I was growing as a person. If I didn’t go to Pacific, I probably wouldn’t have made it professionally. Pacific will always have a special place in my heart.”

The U.S. Open doubles tournament begins Wednesday, Aug. 28.