Bright future ahead for Bucher brothers

Like any younger brother, Tizian Bucher followed his older brother Cyril around when he was younger. So when their mom and dad, both tennis players, would go to the courts to play in Switzerland, Tizian tagged right behind his older brother. Once their mother started teaching Cyril, one year older than Tizian, how to play tennis, the younger brother again followed suit. Finally, once Cyril came to play tennis at Columbia in the fall of 2009, Tizian decided soon after that he too would attend Columbia and also play on the men’s tennis team.

“You know, they are very close,” said head men’s tennis coach Bid Goswami. “They are a close knit family, and one followed the other and the parents wanted them to be together.”

Cyril, a sophomore, played No. 4 singles in 2009 and split time at No. 2 through 4 singles this year, while Tizian, a freshman, played nearly every match at No. 5 singles. The two even got the chance to play doubles together during the spring and fall, but despite the brotherly connection on the court, the duo never found continued success, going 4-10 in the spring.

Even though they lived in the same house for 18 years, the two brothers developed radically different playing styles and personalities on the court. Cyril plays aggressive tennis from the baseline, looking to open up the court with a terrific backhand, while Tizian brings an old-school, lefty serve-and-volley approach on virtually every point.

“I really like the way Cyril plays, he sees the ball very well and when he’s on, it’s nice to see,” said Goswami. “And Tizian reminds me a little bit of myself when I was young. He likes to come to net, and I think he can be a really good player. He could be a really tough player with a tough lefty serve and being able to come in.”

Their differences extend to their personalities on the court as well.

“Cyril is soft-spoken and quiet,” said Goswami. “It’s like Arthur Ashe’s coolness from outside, and Tizian has this unbelievable killer instinct. If he’s beating you 6-0, 5-0 he wants to kill you 6-0, 6-0. He wants to keep the handbrakes off all the time, that’s the difference in their character.”

Despite having different styles on the court, the duo did have some unique advantages when playing doubles together.

“Our strokes are very similar and it’s therefore not surprising that we hit pretty much the exact same return of serve,” said Cyril. “Sometimes then when we get lucky, we manage to hit four return winners in a row. That’s a lot of fun, at least for us.”

But what language does the pair, originally from Switzerland, speak when on the court?

“Swiss German,” said Cyril. “What else?”

While Tizian, who went 4-3 in the Ivies and had more success individually this spring, both still believe that the elder brother would be victorious if they were to square off today.

“Since we practiced a lot before we came to Columbia, he knows exactly my strengths and weaknesses,” said Tizian. “That’s why he would win.”

“I think I would win, despite not playing my best tennis in matches at the moment,” said Cyril. “My good footwork and baseline game allows me to vary my strategy, while Tizian’s rather unique game makes him predictable. This is not so much of a problem against players who don’t know him, but Tizian and I have been practicing for so long that I know very well what to expect.”

Both brothers plan to help each other improve their games and help the Lions climb back to the top of the Ivy League after a disappointing 2-5 record in Ivy play this spring.

“When we play together, I’ll make him run on the court so that he practices his footwork,” said Tizian.

“Since next year Tizian won’t be on a meal plan anymore we will definitely cook together as often as possible,” added Cyril. “For that I’ll first have to teach him how to cook properly though...”

Goswami, who also coached two brothers in Marty and Jimmy Moore in the mid 2000’s, summed it up best when describing the futures of the pair.

“As characters, they are the nicest two people that you will meet,” Goswami said. “Hopefully we’ll see a lot more of the Bucher brothers.”