Friday and Saturday brought us a ton of upsets but things leveled out on Sunday with most higher ranked teams holding court and getting the win.
Florida State capped off a nice weekend by defeating No. 66 Duke 5-2. The Seminoles claimed the doubles point by sweeping all three courts and then it took four opening sets in singles.
Friday night’s hero, Marco Nunez, was first off the court with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Vincent Lin at No. 2 and his teammate Jose Gracia would put the Noles up 3-0 with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Ryan Dickerson at No. 5.
Duke got back in it after TJ Pura came from behind to beat Aziz Dougaz 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4 and Josh Levine also came back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 at No. 6.
Duke’s Nicolas Alvarez and Catalin Mateas each had a set lead at No. 1 and No. 3 but neither would be able to close their match out.
FSU’s Michael Rinaldi clinched the match for the Seminoles with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 win over Mateas at No. 3 and to top it off Benjamin Lock beat Alvarez 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 at No. 1. Rinaldi broke Mateas’s 3-3 service game to go up 4-3 and then held for 5-3 and broke again to close it out.
Wisconsin improved to 11-1 with a tough 4-3 win on the road at No. 36 Drake. Drake won the doubles point by winning 6-3 at No. 1 and 6-2 at No. 3 but Wisconsin turned it around in singles by taking five opening sets.
Josef Dodridge (Pic via David Stluka/UW Badgers)
Badger freshman Osgar O’Hoisin was first off the court with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Calum MacGeoch at No. 4 and a short while later sophomore Jose Cararnza joined him on the sidelines after defeating Ben Stride 7-5, 6-2 at No. 5.
Wisconsin sophomore Lamar Remy extended the Badger lead to 3-1 with a 6-4, 7-6 win over Bayo Philips at No. 3 but Drake freshman Ben Clark cut it to 3-2 after defeating John Zordani 0-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) at No. 6.
Wisconsin sophomore Josef Dodridge would come back from a set down to clinch the match with a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Ben Lott at No. 1. The remaining match at No. 2 was declared a Drake win even though it was tied at 3-3 in the third – most likely because Wisconsin was ready to hit the road back home.
#49 Wisconsin 4, #36 Drake 3
Mar 13, 2016 at Des Moines, Iowa (Roger Knapp Tennis Center)
“What a tough, hard-earned win for our team, head coach Danny Westerman said. “We have been talking about getting tougher with every match this season, and we put together a complete effort all the way down the lineup today.”
“It’s very hard to beat good teams on the road, said Westerman. “But the boys absolutely deserved it today.
Oklahoma State won its ninth match in a row with a 4-1 win over No. 47 Iowa. The Cowboys took the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 and then claimed four opening sets.
Lucas Gerch put Okie State up 2-0 after barely breaking a sweat in a 6-0, 6-0 win over Josh Silverstein at No. 3. Iowa’s Lefteris Theodorou trimmed the lead to 2-1 with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Julian Cash at No. 1 but Okie State was just too good in the other spots.
Jurence Mendoza defeated Jake Jacoby 6-2, 6-2 at No. 6 and Arjun Kadhe clinched the team win by knocking off Dominic Patrick 6-3, 7-5 at No. 2.
Iowa’s Robin Haden led Lukas Finzelberg 6-3, 5-3 at No. 5 but Finzelberg won the last two games to even it at 5-5 and then play was halted due to the clinch. Okie State’s Tristan Meraut led at No. 4.
Note: Oklahoma State played without its usual No. 1/2 Temur Ismailov.
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (3,1,6,2) ____________________________________________________________
No. 42 Georgia Tech won its third straight match on the road with a hard fought 5-2 win at No. 27 NC State. The Kay brothers won the deciding match at No. 2 doubles 7-6(4) to give Georgia Tech the early 1-0 lead.
Daniel Yun (Pic via GT Twitter)
Each team claimed three opening sets but only three of the six matches would finish in straight sets. NC State’s Thomas Weigel struck first with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Andrew Li at No. 3 but GT’s Carlos Benito would answer with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Nick Horton at No. 2. Nathan Rakitt put the Ramblin Wreck up 3-1 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Igor Saveljic at No. 6 and Daniel Yun would clinch the match with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over Shoti Meparidze at No. 5.
GT’s Chris Eubanks also won in three-sets at No. 1 while NC State picked up a three-set win from Ivan Saveljic at No. 4
#42 Georgia Tech 5, #27 NC State 2
March 13, 2016 at Raleigh, N.C. (J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #15 Christopher Eubanks (GT) def. #73 Simon Norenius (ST) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
2. Carlos Benito (GT) def. #58 Nick Horton (ST) 6-4, 6-4
3. Thomas Weigel (ST) def. Andrew Li (GT) 6-3, 7-5
Head Coach Kenny Thorne The Kays did a great job in doubles to pull out a tiebreaker for us to get the doubles point. They were down a mini break, but kept aggressive and fought back. They are a good team, so it was nice for them to get the win. Banks and Beni played another solid match together. Singles was a battle. We got down the first set on three courts, but won the first on our other three courts. Daniel had another solid day. He is tough mentally and comes after you. Nathan did a great job finishing his match in two sets after being down a break in the second. Banks and Beni were tough once again. Our guys have been fighting well on the road and that is a must with our schedule this year. We are really looking forward to getting home this Friday against Clemson. ___________________________________________________________
Kentucky shook off a tough 5-0 loss to Mississippi State by pulling out a 4-3 thriller over No. 50 Alabama. Alabama claimed the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 but Kentucky took four of six opening sets.
Ryotaro Matsumura (Pic via UK Athletics)
UK sophomore Trey Yates tied it at 1-1 with a routine 6-3, 6-1 win over Grayson Goldin at No. 5 and junior Nils Ellefsen made it 2-1 UK with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Becker O’Shaughnessey at No. 3.
Alabama sophomore Matthew Rossouw tied the match at 2-2 with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Austin Hussey at No. 6 but Kentucky sophomore William Bushamuka put the Cats back ahead with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Mazen Osama at No. 6.
The match would be decided by a pair of third sets at No. 2 and No. 4. Alabama freshman Spencer Richey pulled out a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 win over Enzo Wallart at No. 4 but just moments later Kentucky freshman Ryotaro Matsumura clinched the win by holding serve on the deciding point to win it 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Sorry I keep recycling the same pic of Matsumura but the guy just keeps coming through in the clutch.
#12 Kentucky 4, #50 Alabama 3
March 13, 2016 at Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Alabama Tennis Stadium)
“What a great effort by these guys today, said assistant coach Matt Emery. “After losing the doubles point, Nils [Ellefsen] and Trey [Yates] took care of business in a hurry was huge for us to get two quick points on the board. It is a different feeling out there as a player when the match is even as opposed to being behind and seeing a mountain you have to climb.
“I can’t say enough about the heart of our young freshman, Ryotaro. Toughness goes a long, long, way in college tennis, and Ryo is action-packed with it.”
“William closing out his match against a Top 50 player in two sets was a huge key for us. He did a great job of keeping his composure after getting broken back in the second set, went right back to work, and got the break right back. I thought today was one of the cleanest matches he has played this year.” ______________________________________________________________
No. 16 South Florida ran away with its Spring Break Tournament by rolling past both UNC Wilmington and Troy on the final day. The Bulls will now set its sights on a massive Thursday matchup against No. 2 Ohio State.
#16 South Florida 4, #65 UNC-Wilmington 0
Mar 13, 2016 at Tampa, Fla. (USF Varsity Tennis Courts)
Singles competition
1. #4 Roberto Cid (USF) def. C. Van Der Burgh (UNCW) 6-4, 6-3
“There was a turning point for him (Sasha Gozun) about two, three weeks ago when we had a team meeting.” head coach Matt Hill said. “The guys put some commitments out there to each other and I think Sasha has been doing a great job of that, with the commitment he gave to the team. Working harder in the gym and fitness sessions, eating better, and it’s paying off, it’s making a huge difference, He’s got a lot more confidence out there, he’s moving better and the results show.”
Talking about USF’s upcoming match with No. 2 Ohio State – “They’re one of the best programs in the country, have been for the last 10-15 years,” Hill said. “Incredibly well coached, super talented; we couldn’t be more excited to have them here in Tampa. The guys are going to get up for that, they always do. They love a big stage and they love a big name, it’s going to be a fun day.”
No. 44 Mississippi State won for the 11th time in its last 12 matches with a 6-1 thumping over #72 Tennessee. The Vols took the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 but State was just too strong in singles.
MSU won all six singles matches, taking four of them in straights, with the last two coming in third set supertiebreaks since the team outcome had already been decided.
Below is the match clincher from Niclas Braun at No. 4:
“Our confidence keeps growing after wins like these, head coach Matt Roberts said. “We’ve been hammering home our message to these guys all year and I think they’re really starting to come together as a unit and believe in one another.
“We have so much confidence in our singles game, Roberts said. “I never worry about us folding, because we know that we always have a shot no matter the outcome of doubles play. The veterans are stepping up and the young guys are following.
“The crowd gave me great energy today, Braun said following the match. “I was not feeling good and the rest of the team picked me up. I am just happy that I could help us win today.
“We are still hungry and today shows it, Roberts said. “We were not satisfied with only yesterday’s win against Kentucky, we wanted to close out the weekend on a strong note. I think our guys kept their focus and didn’t become complacent. We’re growing and there are still more steps to go.
No. 7 Texas A&M was able to bounce back from its Friday loss to Arkansas by winning in Oxford over No. 22 Ole Miss 4-1. Ole Miss claimed the doubles point by winning the deciding at No. 3 in a tiebreak 7-5.
Each team took three opening sets but only one would finish in straight sets as Texas A&M senior Jackson Withrow rolled over Grey Hamilton 6-1, 6-1 at No. 5.
Every other match went three sets and Texas A&M managed to pull three of them out with Shane Vinsant, Jordi Arconada, and Harrison Adams winning at 2, 3, and 4.
Adams closed out the first three setter with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Fabian Fallert at No. 4 and then Shane Vinsant won 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at No. 2 over Gustav Hansson. Vinsant jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third set and held on the deciding point to win it 6-3 in the third.
Jordi Arconada (Pic via A&M)
Texas A&M sophomore Jordi Arconada clinched the match with a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over Filip Kraljevic at No. 3. Arconada served for it up 5-3 in the third but Kraljevic broke on the deciding point to put it back on serve. Kraljevic held from 40-15 to even it at 5-5 and then Arconada held from 40-30 to go up 6-5. Arconada would break Kraljevic at love to close it out 7-5.
Note: Ole Miss’s live blog said it is in the process of getting streaming video added through PlaySight and that it may be up and running before the season is out. Great news!!!
#7 Texas A&M 4, #22 Ole Miss 1
Mar 13, 2016 at Oxford, Mississippi (Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #103 Stefan Lindmark (OM) vs. #14 Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 1-1, unf
Head Coach Toby Hansson“Today we played a good match against a very good team. They were just a little better than we were. It’s that simple.
On momentum shifts
“We saved a match point at three doubles. It was an amazing turnaround. We felt good about that and we were playing pretty well in singles. We had five three-setters. Stefan played an unbelievable tiebreaker to force a third set. That guy beat him in the fall in straight sets. As a whole, the team played well, we just needed one match to turn and we would have been right there.
On Fabi’s and Gus’ third sets
“We need more matches like this. We can learn from this match and understand that you have to play every point and start over [in the third set] and focus on what’s right in front of you. We have to keep on playing and competing and not let the negatives take over.If we continue doing what we are doing though, we are going to win a lot of tennis matches.
On next three matches on the road “We have three matches coming up on the road at Auburn, Florida and Arkansas. We’ve had some good matches against all three teams, and it’s not going to be much different than it was today. ______________________________________________________________
No. 17 Georgia beat No. 56 Vanderbilt for the 52nd time in 57 matches with a tougher than expected 5-2 win in Nashville. Georgia took the doubles point by winning the deciding match at No. 2 in a tiebreak and then the Dawgs took three of five opening sets (5 indoor courts).
Vandy’s Cameron Klinger evened the match at 1-1 with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Wayne Montgomery at No. 2 but Georgia’s Austin Smith put the Dawgs back ahead with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Danny Valent at No. 1. Rhys Johnson tied it back up again at 2-2 with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win over Paul Oosterbaan at No. 3 but Vandy wouldn’t be able to find another point.
Georgia’s Nick Wood won 7-5, 6-4 over Kris Yee at No. 5 and then freshman Walker Duncan clinched the team win with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 decision over Baker Newman at No. 4.
“I’m really happy with our team’s toughness today, said Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz. “We were challenged at every singles spot and doubles came down to a tiebreaker. Our doubles were strong today which gave us a boost, but Vanderbilt didn’t go away. I was also very proud of our freshman…It was tremendous to see them come through when it mattered most. I can’t say enough about Austin Smith; he is playing impeccable tennis and is becoming really mentally tough at the top of the lineup.
No. 19 Texas went out to California to get some relaxation and it also came away with a tough 4-3 win over No. 29 San Diego. The Longhorns win snapped the Toreros 23-match home winning streak but it definitely didn’t come easy.
San Diego took the doubles point by winning the deciding match at No. 1 in a tiebreak but Texas stepped it up in singles. Five of the six opening sets finished with a 7-5 or 7-6 score and Texas managed to take four of them.
Texas redshirt-freshman Julian Zlobinsky put the Horns on the board with a quick 6-3, 6-1 win over Alexandros Araouzos at No. 6 but USD senior Uros Petronijevic put the Toreros back ahead with a 7-5, 6-3 win at No. 1 over George Goldhoff.
Texas sophomore Adrian Ortiz tied the match at 2-2 with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Filip Vittek at No. 3 and Harrison Scott put the Horns ahead 3-2 with a 7-6, 6-4 win over Jordan Angus at No. 2.
Rodrigo Banzer (Pic via Texas Sports)
USD’s Jaan Kononov evened it at 3-3 with a 6-7, 6-3, 7-5 win over Michael Riechmann at No. 5 but Texas freshman Rodrigo Banzer had just went up a break deep in the third set at No. 4.
Banzer clinched it a few moments later with a 7-6, 5-7, 6-3 win over Romain Kalaydjian. Banzer also came through in the deciding match a few weeks ago at Wake Forest too.
Texas head coach Michael Center – “It was a great match. San Diego has a very good team. It was a hard-fought battle in the doubles, and they played a little better than us at the very end. In singles, we got five first sets, but they kept battling us and battling us. Again, it came down to Rodrigo (Banzer), and he was able to come through and clinch the match.
It was an ultimate team effort today. The attitude of these guys is so good, the culture is so good, and the fight is so good. This team is just continuing to improve. We’re really young, but we have a group of guys who just continue to battle for each other. It was an exciting win for us in a really tough situation.”
Top-ranked North Carolina shook off a Friday night loss to Florida State by defeating No. 74 Miami 6-1. UNC took the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 but the Canes wouldn’t roll over in singles.
Miami’s Piotr Lomacki tied the match at 1-1 when Brayden Schnur retired down 1-4 in the first with what was said to be injury to his forearm/elbow. North Carolina would take the first sets on the other five courts with two of them coming in tiebreaks.
Jack Murray closed out Niclas Genovese 6-0, 6-2 at No. 4 to put UNC back in the lead and Brett Clark made it 3-1 with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Fermin Calvo at No. 3. Ronnie Schneider would clinch the win with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Max Andrews at No. 2
No. 32 Arkansas won its third SEC match with a 5-2 win over No. 43 LSU. The Razorbacks took the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 then it took four opening sets in singles.
Arkansas’s Jose Salazar won easily at No. 2 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Gabor Csonka and Giammarco Micolani won 6-4, 6-2 over Nikola Samardzic at No. 4. Below is match point from Salazar’s match
YES WAY, JOSE!
Salazar defeats #106 Gabor Csonka in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.
Big Mike Redlicki clinched the win by defeating Jordan Daigle 6-4, 7-6 at No. 1. The remaining matches were played out with LSU getting wins from Justin Butsch and Boris Arias at No. 3 and No. 5 while Arkansas’s Johan den Toom won in a third set supertiebreak at No. 6
#32 Arkansas 5, #43 LSU 2
Mar 13, 2016 at Fayetteville, Ark. (Billingsley Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #43 Mike Redlicki (AR) def. #102 Jordan Daigle (LSU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-0)
“The guys really fought hard to get through. I don’t think that most teams on the rise would win today because emotionally and physically it would have been difficult to recover. I think it was important to win the first point and take some pressure off the rest of the day, because LSU has a really good doubles group. Head coach Andy Jackson
“My confidence builds after each win, it started against Oklahoma when I played really well. But overall I think it’s the team playing really well and playing together as one unit. We are fighting so hard each and every day of the week in practice, not just during the weekend matches. Senior Giammarco Micolani
“The doubles point, it was tough but we responded pretty well and really came out firing on most courts, Head Coach Jeff Brown said. “We got some good leads but they did a good job of responding to that momentum that we had. Ultimately they’re playing really well and we are sort of down at the moment. We are looking to rebuild, getting back home this week. “
No. 14 California picked up its seventh win on the season with a 6-1 win over Purdue in a match that was played indoors in Burlingame due to rain in the Bay Area.
The Bears took the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 and then got straight set wins from Florian Lakat, Filip Bergevi, Oskar Wikberg, and J.T Nishimura at 1, 4, 5, and 6. Billy Griffith also won for Cal in three sets at No. 3 while Purdue’s Benjamin Ugarte upsets Cal’s Andre Goransson in a third set supertiebreak at No. 2.
#14 California 6, #45 Purdue 1
March 13, 2016 (Broadway Tennis Center / Burlingame, California)
Doubles competition
1. Filip Bergevi/Florian Lakat (Cal) def. Benjamin Ugarte/Gergely Madarasz (Purdue) 6-2
2. Andre Goransson/Billy Griffith (Cal) vs. Dominik Suchurek/Ricky Medinilla (Purdue) 5-4 unf.
Purdue 11-3; National Ranking #45 Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,4,5,1,3,2) __________________________________________________________________
It was a rough weekend for Notre Dame with the Irish going down to Clemson on Friday then today it was blanked by #9 Wake Forest 7-0. Wake won the doubles point and all six singles matches with five of them coming in straight sets.
#9 Wake Forest 7, #38 Notre Dame 0
Mar 13, 2016 at Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest Tennis Complex)
Lamar gave Oklahoma State a tough match earlier in the day and then came back at night and upset #47 Iowa 4-2. The Cardinals took the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 and then took five opening sets in singles.
Iowa’s Robin Haden won in straight sets at No. 5 and Lefteris Theodorou won in three-sets at No. 1 but Lamar got its three singles wins from Sebastian Santibanez, Benny Schweizer, and Juuso Laitinen (LU) at 3, 4, and 6.
“We had the momentum from the beginning starting with doubles,” said head coach Scott Shankles. “We got off to good starts on all three doubles courts which added to the confidence we already had going into the match. It was the same thing in singles. We got the momentum and kept pressing them.”
“Juuso saved three match points against his opponent,” said Shankles. “They had momentum until that time, but Juuso staying in his match and continuing to fight seemed to pick up the rest of our guys. We always believed we could play well against ranked opponents. We’ve continued to hang in there and we knew if we did that things would eventually go our way. Even in the matches we’ve lost, they have been close if you look at the individual courts.”
Lamar 4, #47 Iowa 2
March 13, 2016 | Greenwood Tennis Center | Stillwater, Oklahoma
wait, Texas was an underdog to San Diego, thats awful, what a pathetic job by the Texas coaching staff
Hell of a good job by Texas' coaching staff to be grinding out wins in spots where they are huge dogs on paper.