Not many people can say that they've shared a tennis court with the likes of top-ranked players in the world like Roger Federer, Simona Halep and Juan Martin del Potro, but that is exactly how Dayton seniors Jordan Benjamin and Lorenzo Rollhauser got to spend their last week of summer before classes at the University of Dayton resume this Wednesday. That's because for the third straight year, Benjamin and Rollhauser were given the opportunity to serve as hitting partners at the Western & Southern Open held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in the Cincinnati area, which is the second-largest summer tennis tournament in the United States, trailing only the U.S. Open. Hitting partners like Benjamin and Rollhauser warm up competitors before their matches and often try to emulate the playing style of the player's next opponent to prepare them for their upcoming match as best as possible.

The opportunity began two summers ago after Benjamin and Rollhauser completed their inaugural seasons with the Dayton tennis program, where they both provided an immediate impact as true freshmen, helping lead the Flyers to a 16-8 campaign and an appearance in the 2016 Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals. Benjamin explained, "We were first invited to be hitting partners for the event the summer going into our sophomore years, and when we displayed our ability to hang with the professionals, we've been invited back every year since."

"The best part about being involved with the tournament is by far sharing the same space with the best players in the world. Through this opportunity, I've been able to hit with one of my idols Rafael Nadal, an extremely talented player in Dominic Thiem, and World No. 1 Simona Halep," said Benjamin. "We got a first-hand look at everything that goes on behind the scenes and an introduction of what it takes to make it professionally, a level many of us dream of."

Rollhauser said the favorite part of the week for him was hitting with Grigor Dimitrov, who is currently ranked as the No. 5 player in the world, but aside from the opportunity to be around the sport's biggest stars, he also felt as if the experience provided him with some takeaways to improve his game heading into Dayton's 2018-19 season. "I learned some of the different drills and preparation methods that the players use to get ready for their matches based on the game style of their opponents."

Benjamin and Rollhauser were both instrumental in Dayton's success last season, during which the Flyers went back to the Atlantic 10 Finals for the first time since 2005 and posted an 18-7 record, which ranks second all-time in program history for wins in a single season. As senior leaders, they'll look to push Dayton Tennis even further during the 2019 season towards its goal of an Atlantic 10 Conference Championship.

It won't be long until Benjamin and Rollhauser will be back at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The senior duo will be back at the venue on Sept. 14-15, this time joined by their teammates, for the Greater Cincinnati Collegiate Invitational, which is the first tournament of the 2018 fall season for both the Dayton men's and women's tennis programs.