Tagged with: Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest

Virginia won its 12th ACC Tournament Championship by defeating the top seed and top ranked team in the country Wake Forest 4-3. The Cavaliers came into the match having lost two straight against Wake Forest after the Demon Deacons beat them in last year’s ACC Championship and then earlier this year in Winston-Salem. Virginia jumped out to the early 1-0 lead after picking up doubles wins at No. 2 and No. 3. UVA’s  No. 2 team of Thai-Son Kwiatkowski and Alexander Ritschard broke for 5-3 and then served it out for 6-3 while its No. 3 team of Collin Altamirano and JC Aragone clinched the point by breaking to win 6-4.

Virginia came out strong in singles and took four opening sets but Wake Forest’s Petros Chrysochos put the next point on the board with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Alexander Ritschard at No. 1. The match didn’t stay tied for long because UVA senior Thai-Son Kwiatkowski closed out Borna Gojo 6-4, 6-4 and a little while later junior Collin Altamirano made it 3-1 after defeating Dennis Uspensky 6-3, 6-4. Wake trimmed the deficit to 3-2 after Alan Gadjiev got past Henrik Wiersholm 6-4, 6-3 and then the Deacs would force third sets on each of the remaining courts. 

Wake junior Skander Mansouri tied the match at 3-3 with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Carl Soderlund but Virginia senior JC Aragone would clinch the ACC Championship after breaking for 5-3 and then serving it out for a 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 win. If you want to rewatch the final you can do so at this link – ACC Network Broadcast

 

 

#3 Virginia 4, #1 Wake Forest 3
Apr 30, 2017 at Rome Tennis Center at Berry College (Rome, GA)
Singles competition
1. #4 Petros Chrysochos (WF) def. #90 Alexander Ritschard (VA) 6-2, 6-4
2. #15 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (VA) def. #51 Borna Gojo (WF) 6-4, 6-4
3. #13 Skander Mansouri (WF) def. #109 Carl Soderlund (VA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
4. #46 Collin Altamirano (VA) def. Dennis Uspensky (WF) 6-3, 6-4
5. #117 J.C. Aragone (VA) def. #75 Christian Seraphim (WF) 7-6 (10-8), 4-6, 6-3
6. Alan Gadjiev (WF) def. #95 Henrik Wiersholm (VA) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #1 Skander Mansouri/Christian Seraphim (WF) vs. #16 Luca Corinteli/Carl Soderlund (VA) 4-5, unfinished
2. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski/Alexander Ritschard (VA) def. Alan Gadjiev/Borna Gojo (WF) 6-3
3. Collin Altamirano/J.C. Aragone (VA) def. Petros Chrysochos/Dennis Uspensky (WF) 6-4
Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,2,4,6,3,5)
ACC Men’s Tennis Championship Match

Post-Match Quotes from Virginia’s recap
“It was pretty remarkable—but I’m not surprised. It’s J.C. J.C. has a heart of gold and has been through a lot of adversity,” said Virginia head coach Brian Boland.

“The whole time I felt like it was going to come down to me and I kept telling myself, ‘Keep fighting. Keep fighting.’ [Seraphim] is a really tough guy to break. He’s amazing and I just had to keep my head down and keep serving,” said Aragone. “I was just trying everything in my power to leave it all out there and come out on top.”

“It’s been an unbelievable ride in college tennis,” said Boland. “It’s hard to leave something I love so much, but it was time for a greater challenge and the time has come. I absolutely love college tennis.”

“I’m proud to represent the ACC, which I consider the best conference in the country. I’m proud of the coaches and colleagues I work with within the conference.”

 

 

Georgia won its 10th SEC Tournament Championship with a hard fought 4-3 win over the No. 5 seed Mississippi State. The Maroon & White Bulldogs got off to a good start in doubles by going up early breaks at both No. 2 and No. 3 while the Red & Black Bulldogs took the early advantage at No. 1. Mississippi State’s Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic jumped out to a 4-0 lead at No. 3 before Georgia got on the board with a love break to make it 4-1. Borges and Rakic broke back on the no-ad point and then Rakic served it out from 40/30 to give State the 6-1 win. 

After going down an early break at No. 2, Georgia’s Wayne Montgomery and Walker Duncan broke back for 1-1 but a few games later State’s Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter would break for 3-2. Montgomery and Duncan broke back on the no-ad point, via a Cutura double fault, for 3-3 and then Montgomery held on the no-ad point with an ace for 4-3. Montgomery and Duncan broke the Hunter serve from 30/40 to go up 5-3 and then Duncan served it out from 40/30 to win 6-3.

The doubles point would be decided at No. 1 between a pair of top 10 ranked doubles teams. Georgia’s Robert Loeb and Jan Zielinski jumped out to a 3-1 lead but Mississippi State’s Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey broke the Loeb serve at love to make it 3-2. It stayed on serve until Braun and Foshey broke the Zielinski serve on the no-ad point to go up 6-5. Foshey would serve it from 40/15 with Braun hitting an excellent volley winner on match point to seal it. Below are some doubles highlights that I shot which begin around the 1:30 mark.

 

 

Georgia was able to brush off the loss of the doubles point by coming back to take four first sets in singles. Georgia sophomore Jan Zielinski would tie the match up with a straight set win at No. 4 over Niclas Braun. Zielinski jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set and would take it 6-2 and then he immediately went up a break in the second as well. Braun got it back on serve at 1-1 but Zielinski broke back for 2-1 and would maintain the break lead the rest of the way to win it 6-2, 6-3. 

It would only stay tied for about five minutes because Mississippi State freshman Simon Baudry would cruise past Paul Oosterbaan at No. 6. Baudry broke Oosterbaan on the no-ad point to go up 3-1 in the first and then he broke again to take the set 6-2. Baudry broke for 3-1 in the second and he’d ultimately serve it out for a 6-2, 6-3 win. 

Georgia sophomore Walker Duncan tied it at 2-2 with a straight set win over Gio Oradini at No. 5. Duncan jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set but Oradini held, broke, and held to even it at 3-3. Duncan held for 4-3, broke from 30/40 for 5-3, and then served out the set at love to take it 6-3. In the second set, Oradini would strike first with a no-ad break for 4-2 but Duncan would break back and hold for 4-4. After Oradini held for 5-4, Duncan fought off a set point with a no-ad hold for 5-5. Oradini came back from 0/40 down to hold for 6-5 and then Duncan held from 40/30 to send the set to a tiebreak. Duncan led 4-2 at the changeover and would go on to take it 7-4 to close out the win.

Georgia junior Wayne Montgomery would give the Red & Black Bulldogs its first lead of the day with a come from behind three set win over Mate Cutura at No. 2. After Cutura won the first set 6-4, Montgomery would go up 3-0 in the second set and take it 6-2. In the third set, Cutura broke Montgomery to go up 2-1 but Montgomery reeled off the next five games to close it out 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. 

Mississippi State sophomore Nuno Borges would level the match at 3-3 after he came back from a set down to defeat Nathan Ponwith in three sets. Ponwith took the opening set 6-3 but Borges came back to take the second 6-2. Borges started off the third set by coming back from 15/40 down to hold for 1-0 and then a few games later he’d do it again to hold for 3-2. Borges broke Ponwith from 30/40 to go up 4-2 and then he would break him one ore time to close it out 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. 

All eyes focused on the deciding court at No. 3 where Georgia sophomore Emil Reinberg and Mississippi State sophomore Strahinja Rakic were just started a tiebreak in the second set. Reinberg had taken the first set in a tiebreak and after going up 4-1 in the second it looked like he was going to cruise to the finish line however Rakic came back and tied it at 4-4. A few games later Rakic would break for 6-5 but Reinberg broke back at love to send it to the tiebreak. Rakic jumped out to a 5-2 lead but Reinberg took the next three to tie it at 5-5. Rakic went up 6-5 with a big forehand rip but Reinberg tied it at 6-6 with a service winner. Reinberg hit a forehand winner to go up 7-6 and then Rakic double faulted to give Reinberg the 8-6 win. Below Georgia’s video clip is plenty of singles footage plus some of the post-match trophy presentation. 

 

 

 

Georgia 4, Mississippi State 3
April 30, 2017 at Knoxville, Tenn. (Barksdale Stadium)
Singles Results
1. #3 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #49 Nathan Ponwith (UGA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
2. #31 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. Mate Cutura (MSU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. #61 Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. #111 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6)
4. Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Niclas Braun (MSU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
6. Simon Baudry (MSU) def. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles Results
1. #9 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. #2 Robert Loeb/Jan Zielinski (UGA) 7-5
2. Wayne Montgomery/Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) 6-3
3. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Paul Oosterbaan/Emil Reinberg (UGA) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (4,6,5,2,1,3)

Post-Match Quotes from Georgia’s recap
“At Georgia, it is all about the team and not the individual,” Reinberg said. “We just play for each other and that was obvious this weekend. I am always bound to go three-sets but I really wanted to keep it in that second set, and I was able to do that. Again, it’s not about me, its about this team, and I am so fortunate to be a part of this program.”

“We knew this was going to be a tough match, beginning with doubles,” head coach Manuel Diaz said. “Our team had to battle through two very physical matches the last two days, and I am so proud of how they responded. We are a young team that has matured so much since January. We are banged up but showed so much resiliency to win this tournament. I could not be more proud of these guys.”

Post-Match Quotes from Mississippi State’s recap
“These are the kind of moments that make you feel alive,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “We live for these situations and love competition. Even though the final result didn’t go our way, I’m proud of how hard we fought and didn’t give Georgia anything easily.”

“Doubles was a big improvement today,” Roberts said. “We played outstanding on all three courts and I’m proud of the fight Nic and Trevor showed to beat a very good doubles team. We knew today would be a battle, so we wanted to start the match off on a good note and we did just that.”

“We were feeling good at the end, we had a lot of confidence,” Roberts said. “Nuno did an amazing job by coming back and picking up a great win. Strale was right there battling back, so we never were down about the situation. Our team always shows each other support until the very end and never gives up.”

“We’re going to head home now with our heads up, because we played great this weekend,” Roberts said. “We have to take this loss and learn from it, it’s just one step in the process of improving and learning. Every match is another opportunity get better, and I believe we took advantage of that this weekend.”

 

 

Ohio State won its 12th Big Ten Tournament Championship, and 10th in the last 12 years, with a 4-1 win over the No. 2 seed Michigan. The match was played indoors and after Ohio State took the doubles point they really leaned on Michigan in singles and took five opening sets. Mikael Torpegaard put Ohio State up 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 1 but Michigan’s Alex Knight cut it to 2-1 with a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 2. Ohio State senior Hugo Di Feo made it 3-1 with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 3 and fellow senior Herkko Pollanen clinched it with a 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 5. 

 

 

#2 Ohio State 4, #16 Michigan 1
April 30, 2017 at West Lafayette, IN
Singles competition
1. #2 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU) def. #80 Jathan Malik (MICH) 6-3, 6-1
2. #123 Alex Knight (MICH) def. #41 JJ Wolf (OSU) 6-3, 6-4
3. #9 Hugo Di Feo (OSU) def. Myles Schalet (MICH) 6-3, 6-3
4. Martin Joyce (OSU) vs. Kevin Wong (MICH) 6-4, 5-4, unfinished
5. Herkko Pollanen (OSU) def. Runhao Hua (MICH) 6-1, 6-4
6. Kyle Seelig (OSU) vs. Carter Lin (MICH) 6-3, 6-6, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #14 Herkko Pollanen/Mikael Torpegaard (OSU) def. #22 Connor Johnston/Jathan Malik (MICH) 6-4
2. #27 Hugo Di Feo/Martin Joyce (OSU) def. Runhao Hua/Alex Knight (MICH) 6-2
3. Hunter Tubert/JJ Wolf (OSU) vs. Myles Schalet/Kevin Wong (MICH) 4-5, unfinished
Match Notes:
Michigan 22-6, 9-2 Big Ten; National ranking #16
Ohio State 29-3, 11-0 Big Ten; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,2,3,5)
Big Ten Men’s Tennis Tournament – Championship Match
Match played indoors on the Basham Courts at the Schwartz Tennis Center.
T-2:05

 

 

 

Top seed Ohio State won the Big Ten Tournament Championship for the second year in a row, second time overall too, with a 4-0 win over the No. 2 seed Michigan. The Buckeyes took the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 and then it picked up singles wins from Gabriella De Santis, Miho Kowase, and Ferny Angeles Paz. Interesting note the match time of 2 hours and 5 minutes was the same as the mens win over Michigan. 

 

 

#4 Ohio State 4, #10 Michigan 0
Apr 30, 2017 at Urbana, Ill. (Atkins Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #1 Francesca Di Lorenzo (OSU) vs. #25 Kate Fahey (MICH) 7-5, 3-0, unfinished
2. #60 Anna Sanford (OSU) vs. #24 Brienne Minor (MICH) 7-5, 1-6, 2-1, unfinished
3. #94 Gabriella De Santis (OSU) def. Chiara Lommer (MICH) 6-4, 6-1
4. #95 Miho Kowase (OSU) def. Alex Najarian (MICH) 6-2, 6-2
5. #102 Sandy Niehaus (OSU) vs. Mira Ruder-Hook (MICH) 6-3, 4-6, unfinished
6. #117 Ferny Angeles Paz (OSU) def. Valeria Patiuk (MICH) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #19 Francesca Di Lorenzo/Miho Kowase (OSU) vs. #9 Kate Fahey/Alex Najarian (MICH) 5-4, unfinished
2. Anna Sanford/Sandy Niehaus (OSU) def. Chiara Lommer/Brienne Minor (MICH) 6-2
3. Gabriella De Santis/Ferny Angeles Paz (OSU) def. Mira Ruder-Hook/Valeria Patiuk (MICH) 6-3
Match Notes:
Michigan 21-5; National ranking #10
Ohio State 28-2; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,4,3)v Played on indoor courts at Atkins Tennis Center
Big Ten Tournament Championship
Ohio State #1 seed, Michigan #2 seed
T-2:05

 

 

Post-Match Quotes from Ohio State’s recap
“We came out and played a really good tennis match today,” Melissa Schaub, Ohio State head coach, said. “We came out well in doubles. We said yesterday we would learn from the semifinal match (a 4-3 win) and that we, in a way, needed that kind of match. We responded really well today. We have so much respect for Michigan and their program. They are very well coached and very talented. We gave this match everything we had because we knew that was what was absolutely going to be needed. Now, we will see what happens with the NCAA draw on Tuesday and start preparing for that. I’m just really proud of the fight and toughness of this team.”

 

 

Top seed Texas Tech won its first-ever Big 12 Championship with a 4-2 win over the No. 2 seed and defending champions Oklahoma State. In a match that was played indoors, the Red Raiders ran through the doubles point and then added four first sets in singles. Gabriela Talaba and Sarah Dvorak won in straight sets to make it 3-0 before Oklahoma State rallied with wins from Aliona Bolsova and Vladica Babic. Texas Tech sophomore Felicity Maltby clinched the title with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 2.

 

 

#7 Texas Tech 4, #9 Oklahoma State 2
Apr 30, 2017 at Norman, Okla.(Headington Family Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #9 Gabriela Talaba (TTU) def. #7 Viktoriya Lushkova (OKST) 6-4, 6-4
2. #62 Felicity Maltby (TTU) def. #49 Katarina Adamovic (OKST) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
3. #70 Aliona Bolsova (OKST) def. Alex Valenstein (TTU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
4. #69 Vladica Babic (OKST) def. Sabrina Federici (TTU) 7-5, 6-3
5. Sarah Dvorak (TTU) def. Lena Ruppert (OKST) 6-0, 7-5
6. Katelyn Jackson (TTU) vs. Katarina Stresnakova (OKST) 6-3, 5-7, 3-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #30 Sabrina Federici/Sarah Dvorak (TTU) def. #10 Carla Tur Mari/Vladica Babic (OKST) 6-2
2. #75 Gabriela Talaba/Felicity Maltby (TTU) def. #50 Aliona Bolsova/Sofia Blanco (OKST) 6-2
3. Alex Valenstein/Alba Cortina-Pou (TTU) vs. #63 Katarina Adamovic/Viktoriya Lushkova (OKST) 2-5, unfinished
Match Notes:
Oklahoma State 22-5; National ranking #9
Texas Tech 24-4; National ranking #7
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (5,1,4,3,2)
Big 12 Women’s Championships – Final
Match played indoors at Gregg Wadley Indoor Pavillion

 

 

Top seed North Carolina won its eighth ACC Championship and second in a row with a come from behind 4-3 win over Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech took the early lead after only dropping three games in its wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles but North Carolina battled back in singles and took four first sets. Georgia Tech eventually went ahead 3-2 but North Carolina’s Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham each on in the third set to give the Tar Heels the title. 

If you want to rewatch the final you can do so at this link – ACC Network Broadcast

#5 North Carolina 4, #8 Georgia Tech 3
Apr 30, 2017 at Rome Tennis Center at Berry College (Rome, GA)
Singles competition
1. #2 Hayley Carter (NC) def. #50 Rasheeda McAdoo (GT) 6-4, 6-4
2. #58 Johnnise Renaud (GT) def. #15 Sara Daavettila (NC) 6-1, 6-2
3. #32 Jessie Aney (NC) def. #84 Paige Hourigan (GT) 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
4. #66 Alexa Graham (NC) def. Kenya Jones (GT) 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2
5. Nami Otsuka (GT) def. #97 Makenna Jones (NC) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
6. Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (NC) def. Luca Fabian (GT) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #39 Paige Hourigan/Kenya Jones (GT) def. #1 Hayley Carter/Jessie Aney (NC) 6-1
2. #23 Rasheeda McAdoo/Johnnise Renaud (GT) def. Cassandra Vazquez/Alexa Graham (NC) 6-2
3. Sara Daavettila/Makenna Jones (NC) vs. Nami Otsuka/Luca Fabian (GT) 3-3, unfinished
Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (2,6,1,5,3,4)
ACC Women’s Tennis Championship Match 

 

To see final scores from all conference championships and to see the list of all the automatic qualifiers click these two links – MEN & WOMEN

I’ll have a post on Monday that details my projections for the NCAA Field but if you want to get a sneak peak at the rankings that will be used to determine that field you can see them here (Subscribers Only)