The headlining match of the day lived up to its billing as #1 Oklahoma came from behind to knock off #7 Virginia 4-3. This showdown was played using the traditional scoring system which had doubles play a pro set to 8 and had ad scoring used in both doubles and singles.
Oklahoma jumped out to early 4-2 leads at 1 and 3 doubles and would actually lead 6-3 at #1 before Virginia started turning it around. Virginia’s #1 team of Corinteli/Shane broke at 4-6 to get it back on serve and it stayed that way until the tiebreak. In the tiebreak the UVA #1s would win the final 2 points to take it 8-6. Virginia’s #2 team of Kwiatkowski/Aragone broke to go up 4-3 and never let the lead go as they finished off Harris/Ghilea 8-6. Virginia’s #3 team of Frank/Altamirano came back from 4-2 down and would lead 7-5 at the time of the clinch.
#1 Oklahoma 4, #7 Virginia 3
Singles Order of Finish (4,2,1,5,3,6)
In singles play, Virginia jumped out to early leads on several courts and would take the opening sets at 1, 3, 4, and 6 while Oklahoma picked up 1st sets at 2 and 5. Virginia freshman Collin Altamirano was the first to finish as he knocked off Spencer Papa 6-4, 6-4 at #4 singles in a match where Altamirano was never broken. Oklahoma’s Axel Alvarez would put the Sooners on the board with a 6-4, 7-5 win at #2 singles while all the other matches would head to a 3rd set.
At #1 singles, Oklahoma’s Andrew Harris would jump out to an early break lead in the 3rd but Mitchell Frank would immediately break back and hold for 3-2. Harris would win the next 3 to go up 5-3 before a Frank hold would make it 5-4. Harris then served it out at love to close out at 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.
With the match tied at 2-2 the next court to finish would be at #5 singles. After trading a few breaks early in the 3rd, Virginia’s Alexander Ritschard would pull away and get the 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win which would put Virginia just a point away from a huge win.
It looked like Virginia’s Thai-Son Kwiatkowski was going to get off the court in straight sets at #3 but after he got broke serving for the match up 6-3, 5-4 the wheels came off and Dane Webb would take 6 straight games to close out the 2nd set 7-5 and go up 3-0 in the 3rd. Kwiatkowski would get one break back but it wasn’t enough as Webb closed out a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win.
In the final match left on court it would be Oklahoma’s Florin Bragusi providing the clincher for the 2nd match in a row as he came back from a set down to knock off J.C. Aragone 6-7(9), 6-2, 6-3.
Oklahoma recap – with quotes below
“Win or lose I think we feel really good about it, head coach John Roddick said. “Considering the schedule we’ve playedand I know our guys are feeling thatwe’ve been pushed. That’s our 11th top-25 win and our fourth top-10 win. It is just a hell of an effort, especially to come back.
“We just fought hard, Roddick said. “That’s what this team does. They just compete like crazy. This is the best group of competitors that I have ever been around. It’s amazing how they pull matches out. They believe that they are going to do it, I believe that they are going to do it and I think everyone in the stands believes they are going to do it.
“I was incredibly excited,” Harris said. “I’m more excited that when we beat Ohio State and ended their streak. For some reason this feels better. They’re one of the top two or three team in the country, even though they are ranked No. 7 right now. To win four singles against a team like that is amazing. I’m so proud of all the guys, and I am just so happy.
“I have been here for four years and it just makes me feel proud to be part of this program,” Webb said. “My freshman they were at the same level and they beat us 6-1. To come in and lose doubles and then beat them for the first time ever, it makes me feel great.”
“Give credit to Virginia,” Roddick said. “I think they played well. We’ve played everyone in the country and they are one of the best teams. They are incredibly talented and I know they have better tennis in them as well. They will be scary in May.”
Virginia recap – with quote below
“It was another tough loss for us on the road, but we are getting better every day,” said head coach Brian Boland. “This one hurts as we had momentum and then let the match get away. I have tremendous respect for coach John Roddick and the Oklahoma program. I have to give them credit for battling back from being way down in the match. We will stick to the process and keep improving. I love this team.”
FYI, the number beside the player’s school is the player’s Universal Tennis Rating as of March 9th. For more details about UTR check out their website.
#1 Oklahoma 4, #7 Virginia 3
Doubles (Order of Finish: 2, 1)
1. #19 Luca Corinteli/Ryan Shane (UVA) def. #5 Axel Alvarez/Dane Webb (OU) 8-7(6)
2. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski/JC Aragone (UVA) def. #53 Andrew Harris/Alex Ghilea (OU) 8-6
3. Mitchell Frank/Collin Altamirano (UVA) vs. Spencer Papa/Florin Bragusi (OU) 7-5 DNF
Singles Order of Finish (4,2,1,5,3,6)
1. #19 Andrew Harris (OU 14.71) def. #27 Mitchell Frank (UVA 14.88) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
2. #7 Axel Alvarez (OU 14.50) def. #3 Ryan Shane (UVA 14.56) 6-4, 7-5
3. #26 Dane Webb (OU 14.20) def. #6 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (UVA 14.83) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
4, #70 Collin Altamirano (UVA 14.81) def. Spencer Papa (OU 13.91) 6-4, 6-4
5. Alexander Ritschard (UVA 13.91) def. #53 Alex Ghilea (OU 14.16) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
2. #7 Axel Alvarez (OU 14.50) def. #3 Ryan Shane (UVA 14.56) 6-4, 7-5
3. #26 Dane Webb (OU 14.20) def. #6 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (UVA 14.83) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
4, #70 Collin Altamirano (UVA 14.81) def. Spencer Papa (OU 13.91) 6-4, 6-4
5. Alexander Ritschard (UVA 13.91) def. #53 Alex Ghilea (OU 14.16) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
6. Florin Bragusi (OU 13.52) def. JC Aragone (UVA 13.80) 6-7(9), 6-2, 6-3
Who Wins Tuesday’s match in Norman
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15 (33%)
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30 (66%)
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Votes so far: 45
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Gainesville, FL: After dropping an emotional match last Friday to #1 Oklahoma, Ohio State was able to rebound on a warm sunny day in Gainesville. The Buckeyes ran its doubles record to 14-3 by picking up the point with wins at 1 and 2. Each team would take 3 1st sets and it’d be Florida’s Chase Perez-Blanco that was first off the court with a rather surprising 6-2, 6-2 rout of Ralf Steinbach at #5 singles. Ohio State’s Chris Diaz would put the Buckeyes back ahead with an equally dominating 6-3, 6-1 win at #2 singles over Maxx Lipman. Diaz had dropped 5 of 6 coming into the match so it was a nice win for Buckeye junior. Kevin Metka would put Ohio State just a point away as he finished off Jordan Belga 6-3, 6-3 at #6 singles and just 9 minutes later it’d be Hunter Callahan closing the door on the Gators with a 6-4, 7-5 win at #4 singles over Gordon Watson. Ohio State’s Mikael Torpegaard was just a game away from winning as well at #1 singles after winning 11 consecutive games against Diego Hidalgo but unfortunately the Buckeye freshman wouldn’t get a chance to finish.
Note: Florida has now had 5 different guys play at #6 singles this year with them combining to go 5-6.
#10 Ohio State 4, #18 Florida 1
Mar 10, 2015 at Gainesville, Fla. (Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. #28 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU 13.94) vs. #64 Diego Hidalgo (FLA 14.11) 4-6, 6-0, 5-0 unfinished
2. #44 Chris Diaz (OSU 13.87) def. #78 Maxx Lipman (FLA 13.76) 6-3, 6-1
3. #99 Elliot Orkin (FLA 13.95) vs. #114 Herkko Pollanen (OSU 13.56) 6-2, 5-6, unfinished
4. Hunter Callahan (OSU 13.95) def. Gordon Watson (FLA 13.73) 6-4, 7-5
5. Chase Perez-Blanco (FLA 13.39) def. #68 Ralf Steinbach (OSU 13.89) 6-2, 6-2
6. Kevin Metka (OSU 13.89) def. Jordan Belga (FLA 13.05) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #3 Kevin Metka/Ralf Steinbach (OSU) def. Maxx Lipman/Elliot Orkin (FLA) 6-3
2. Mikael Torpegaard/Herkko Pollanen (OSU) def. #33 Diego Hidalgo/Gordon Watson (FLA) 6-4
3. #72 Oliver Landert/Joshua Wardell (FLA) def. #34 Chris Diaz/Hunter Callahan (OSU) 6-3
Match Notes
Ohio State 13-4; National ranking #10
Florida 6-5; National ranking #18
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,2,6,4)
T-2:14 A-218
Ohio State recap
Florida recap
Shelton’s Notes Head Coach Bryan Shelton
On if the team was thinking at all about loss last year to Ohio State in the NCAA Round of 16 during today’s match
I think the thing that we thought about was really just how tough that team really is. We had a great match with them in the NCAA Tournament in Athens and it came down to the wire. It was exciting. We came up a point shy of winning, so we certainly kind of look back at that. But more than anything, just saw that in order to beat a team like Ohio State you’ve got to walk out on the court with confidence and you’ve got to be able to execute under pressure for a long amount of time. They’re going to push you. And that’s exactly what we saw today. They just came out there ready to play and they’re just a really good opponent. So it’s great for us to have that opportunity to have them on our schedule this year and for the next three years. It’s a good barometer for us as to where exactly we are. We’re not far off. We’ve got to tweak some things and make some improvements for sure, but I like the direction this team is heading and this match is going to help us this weekend when we face Mississippi State and Alabama.
On how the team got better today
I think No. 3 doubles took a step in the right direction today. I’m really proud of the way Josh [Wardell] and Oliver [Landert] responded to a tough, difficult team. When the pressure was at its greatest, those guys played their best tennis. So I can’t say that they did that in the last couple matches that they’ve played together, but certainly today they stepped up to the plate for us. I think Chase Perez-Blanco just continues to grow and get better. He talked today just about what a privilege it is to play for the University of Florida and how much it means to him and how much he’s realized through the season that he’s more and more thankful every day that he’s here. He just really shared that with the team and I think he really gets it. He’s willing to do what it takes to be successful and so it’s fun to see the growth in him and the confidence growing daily.
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Oxford, MS: Despite being down a starter, Ole Miss hung tough against #2 Baylor but the Bears we’re just a little too deep for the Rebels and pulled out a 4-1 win. Ole Miss was without William Kallberg (ankle) so the Rebels had to shift its lineups since Kallberg plays at #1 doubles and #4 singles. Baylor was undefeated (13-0) in the doubles coming into the match and they kept it that way with wins at 2 and 3 to take the early 1-0 lead.
Due to rain in Oxford the matches were moved indoors to Ole Miss’s 3 court facility which meant that 1, 2, and 3 singles would start first and when the first court opened up then #4 singles would go on and so forth.
All 3 of the first matches to go on were very tight with several breaks of serve on both sides. Ole Miss jumped out to an early break lead on all 3 courts and had chances to take the opening set on each court. While Nik Scholtz was able to grab the 1st set at #1, Stefan Lindmark was broke at #2 serving for it up 5-4 and Lupieri would take the last 3 games of the set to take it 7-5. Baylor’s Max Tchoutakian took the 1st set on 3 in a tiebreak and would then have 3 match points in the second set tiebreak to close it out in straight however Gustav Hansson would rally to take 5 straight points to push it to a 3rd. Ole Miss now had momentum in its favor because in addition to Hansson taking the 2nd set on 3, Lindmark would also get the 2nd set on 2, and Scholtz would close out Lenz on 1.
With the match now tied at 1-1 and with the crowd’s roar growing, Baylor would calm them down as both Tony Lupieri and Max Tchoutakian would cruise in the 3rd set at #2 and #3 with each taking the final set 6-1. Baylor would now just need 1 of the bottom 3 courts and with Ole Miss down a man and shifting a few guys up it was a task Baylor had to feel pretty good about. While Ole Miss’s Ricardo Jorge was able to take the opening set at #6, Baylor would take the opening set at #4 and #5 and it would be Vince Schneider that would ultimately provide the clincher as he knocked off Zvonimir Babic 7-6, 6-2. Good effort by Ole Miss without a key starter and a good job by Baylor to keep it together despite getting really pushed on several courts.
#2 Baylor 4, #13 Ole Miss 1
March 9, 2015 at Oxford, Mississippi (Gillom Sports Center)
Singles competition
1. #23 Nik Scholtz (OM 14.32) def. #4 Julian Lenz (BU 14.72) 7-6 (10-8), 6-3
2. #29 Tony Lupieri (BU 14.31) def. #82 Stefan Lindmark (OM 14.15) 7-5, 2-6, 6-1
3. #36 Max Tchoutakian (BU 14.16) def. Gustav Hansson (OM 13.81) 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (6-8), 6-1
4. Vince Schneider (BU 13.51) def. Zvonimir Babic (OM 12.85) 7-6 (9-7), 6-2
5. Mate Zsiga (BU 13.89) vs. Vinod Gowda (OM 12.78) 6-2, 2-2, unfinished
6. Ricardo Jorge (OM 13.10) vs. Felipe Rios (BU 13.70) 6-4, 1-1, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Nik Scholtz/Zvonimir Babic (OM) vs. #40 Tony Lupieri/Mate Zsiga (BU) 4-4, unfinished
2. Julian Lenz/Diego Galeano (BU) def. Gustav Hansson/Stefan Lindmark (OM) 6-4
3. Vince Schneider/Felipe Rios (BU) def. Vinod Gowda/Grey Hamilton (OM) 6-1
Match Notes
Baylor 12-2; National ranking #2
Ole Miss 9-4; National ranking #13
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,2,3,4)
A-434
Who Wins Tuesday’s Match at Oxford
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4 (11%)
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32 (88%)
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Votes so far: 36
Ole Miss recap
“It was a very close match, we were right there with them,” head coach Toby Hansson said. “We were up a break at one doubles, and battling at two. I told the guys after the doubles, `we’ve been here before we can get four points off these guys.’ They believed that they could. Everybody on the court gave it all that they had, and you can’t ask for anything more as a coach.
“It was a great college match. The atmosphere in here was incredible. We would like to thank the crowd.”
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