Noted for their ability and dedication to tennis, Raman Jayapathy and John Christen were inducted into the North Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 15 at Hammond Park Tennis Complex in Minot.
Representing Minot High School, Jaypathy was a state singles champion in 1979. He also placed fifth in singles (1978) and fifth in doubles (1977).
Jayapathy took his talents to Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. where he continued to succeed. There he was named an All-American honoree twice in 1984 and 1985, and helped the team secure the 1982 NCAA championship over Kalamazoo College.
Jayapathy has remained active by serving as a teaching professional and member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Northern Section from 1992-2023.
John Christen, who played for Minot Ryan was a 1981 state champion in singles. He also placed third in singles in 1979 and second in singles in 1980 before capturing a title one year later.
Christen went on o play tennis for the University of North Dakota, where he won the North Central Conference No. 3 singles championship in 1983 and 1984.
In 1985, Christen was the No. 1 doubles champion and took third place in the No. 1 singles in 1986. While he built a successful athletic career on the courts, Christen also excelled as a wrestler.
After winning two high school state championships in 1981 and 1982, Christen was a NCAA Division II All-American wrestler for the University of North Dakota in 1986 and 1987.
Continuing to be involved with the sport after his playing career ended, Christen was a teaching pro at Midtown Athletic Club in Sioux Falls, Iowa, played USTA team tennis in Minnesota and remains competitive by being a member of Courts Plus in Fargo.
Attending the ceremony and highlighting the careers of the inductees were former coaches Brian Pederson and Jerry Lyon.,
