What a thrilling day of action it was on Monday with three of the eight men’s Round of 16 matches finishing with a 4-3 final score. Two of the top eight national seeds went down and a third came back from 3-0 down to escape.
The morning session brought us two of the 4-3 matches with a pair of SEC teams moving on – one was expected to win while the other was not.
Georgia, seeded No. 11, entered the match against No. 6 North Carolina as fairly heavy underdogs but a big win in doubles helped set the tone for the rest of the match.
North Carolina’s William Blumberg and Brian Cernoch rolled to a 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles while Georgia’s Philip Henning and Erik Grevelius won 6-4 at No. 3. The pivotal point at No. 3 came when Henning and Grevelius broke the Rinky Hijikata serve on the deciding point to take a 5-4 lead and then Grevelius served it out at love. The deciding match at No. 2 saw no breaks of serve, and in fact no break opportunities, and went to a tiebreak. UNC’s Simon Soendergaard and Mac Kiger led 2-1* early in the tiebreak but UGA’s Blake Croyder and Billy Rowe won the next six points to close it out 7-2.
Georgia rode the momentum from the doubles point and took four opening sets in singles with two of those coming in tiebreaks.
Georgia’s Philip Henning put the Bulldogs ahead 2-0 with a straight set win at No. 3. Henning came back from a break down in the opening set by winning the final four games to take it 6-3. The second set stayed on serve until Henning broke Ben Sigouin from 30/40 to go ahead 5-4 and then Henning served out the match from 40/30 to win it 6-3, 6-4.
Brian Cernoch gave the Tar Heels its first point of the day with a come from behind three-set win at No. 4 singles. Georgia’s Blake Croyder took the opening set 6-4 but Cernoch bounced back in the second set by winning the final five games to force a third set. In the final frame, Cernoch broke Croyder from 30/40 to go up 4-3 and then Cernoch came back from 0/40 down to hold on the deciding point for 5-3. After a Croyder hold, Cernoch served it out from 40/30 to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
The matches on courts 1, 2, and 6 would all finish within a minute of each other with UNC’s William Blumberg and Rinky Hijikata winning in straight sets at 1 and 2 while UGA’s Erik Grevelius won in straight sets at 6.
The overall match was now even at 3-3 with Georgia’s Billy Rowe up a set and having a break lead early in the second set on the deciding court at No. 5. UNC’s Josh Peck served for the first set, and had three set points at 5-4 (40/15), but Rowe fought back to break on the deciding point. The opening set went to a tiebreak and Peck had leads of *2-0, 4-3*, *5-4, and 6-5* but Rowe fought off the set point and won the next two after that to take the tiebreak 8-6. Rowe started off the second set by breaking Peck from 30/40 and then later in the set he’d fight off a pair of break points to hold for 5-3. After a love hold by Peck for 4-5, Rowe would serve it out at love to win it 7-6, 6-4.
#11 Georgia 4, #6 North Carolina 3
5/17/2021 at Orlando, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
Singles competition
1. #35 William Blumberg (NC) def. #15 Trent Bryde (GA) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
2. #24 Rinky Hijikata (NC) def. #27 Tyler Zink (GA) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
3. #19 Philip Henning (GA) def. #56 Benjamin Sigouin (NC) 6-3, 6-4
4. #60 Brian Cernoch (NC) def. Blake Croyder (GA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
5. Billy Rowe (GA) def. Josh Peck (NC) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4
6. Erik Grevelius (GA) def. Simon Soendergaard (NC) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #3 William Blumberg/Brian Cernoch (NC) def. #7 Trent Bryde/Tyler Zink (GA) 6-1
2. #54 Blake Croyder/Billy Rowe (GA) def. #58 Simon Soendergaard/Mac Kiger (NC) 7-6 (7-2)
3. Philip Henning/Erik Grevelius (GA) def. Benjamin Sigouin/Rinky Hijikata (NC) 6-4
Match Notes:
Georgia 17-6; National ranking #11
North Carolina 21-4; National ranking #6
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,4,2,6,1,5)
T-2:48
The other early match saw SEC Tournament Champion and No. 3 seed Tennessee fight off a strong effort from No. 18 Arizona to win 4-3.
The Vols won the doubles point for the 25th time in 30 matches with strong 6-2 and 6-3 wins at 1 and 2. Tennessee was also serving for the match on 3 up 5-2 when the point was clinched.
Each team took three opening sets in singles with four of matches finishing in straight sets.
Arizona’s Carlos Hassey tied the match at 1-1 with a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 6. Hassey trailed UT’s Pat Harper 3-0 in the first set but a break on the deciding point at 2-4 helped turn the match around. Hassey won three of the four deciding points in the match.
Tenenssee’s Martin Prata put the Vols back in front with a dominating 6-0, 6-3 win at No. 3. Prata never trailed in the match and winning three of four deciding points definitely helped his cause.
Arizona’s Jonas Ziverts tied the match at 2-2 with a 7-5, 6-3 win over the red-hot Johannus Monday at No. 2. Monday served for the opening set at 5-4, and had a set point, but Ziverts broke on the deciding point and then broke again to take the set. In the second set Ziverts broke on the deciding point to go up 3-1 and then it was all holds the rest of the way. Ziverts won six of the eight deciding points in the match.
Arizona took its first lead of the match after a 6-4, 6-1 win from Alejandro Reguant at No. 5. Reguant led the opening set 3-1 but after losing three straight he found himself down 4-3*. Reguant broke UT’s Giles Hussey on the deciding point to go up 5-4 and then served it out from 40/30 to take the set 6-4. After Hussey won the opening game of the second set, Reguant reeled off six straight to close it out. Hussey had five service games reach the deciding point and he lost all five.
Despite trailing 3-2, Tennessee was in good shape at No. 4 and Adam Walton was regrouping on No. 1 after dropping a lopsided second set.
It initially looked like Tennessee’s Luca Wiedenmann would get off the court with a straight set win at No. 4 but a charge by UA’s Herman Hoeyeraal sent it to a third set. Wiedenmann led 6-3, 4-2 but Hoeyeraal won the next four games to take the set 6-4. Wiedenmann jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the final set but Hoeyeraal got one of the breaks back to pull within 5-4. However Wiedenmann would calmly serve it out from 40/15 to even the overall match at 3-3. Wiedenmann won 7 of the 10 games that went to the deciding point including both of them in the final set.
The final match left on court was at No. 1 between Tennessee’s Adam Walton and Arizona’s Gustaf Strom. There were 7 breaks of serve in the opening set with the biggest one coming on Strom’s 5-5 service game. Strom went up 40/0 but Walton won the next four points to break and then he served out the set from 40/30. After dropping the 1 hour and 18 minute opening set, Strom came back in the second set and took it 6-1 to force a third set.
Walton won the first three games in the final set, with all three coming down to a deciding point, and the Volunteer senior pulled away to win 6-2.
Tennessee will meet Georgia on Thursday in a quarterfinal match that will start at 11:00 am ET. The Vols won the regular season meeting in Athens 4-2.
#3 Tennessee 4, #18 Arizona 3
5/17/2021 at Orlando, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
Singles competition
1. #10 Adam Walton (TENN) def. #45 Gustaf Strom (ARIZ) 7-5, 1-6, 6-2
2. #90 Jonas Ziverts (ARIZ) def. #8 Johannus Monday (TENN) 7-5, 6-3
3. #41 Martim Prata (TENN) def. Filip Malbasic (ARIZ) 6-0, 6-3
4. Luca Wiedenmann (TENN) def. Herman Hoeyeraal (ARIZ) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
5. Alejandro Reguant (ARIZ) def. #92 Giles Hussey (TENN) 6-4, 6-1
6. Carlos Hassey (ARIZ) def. #115 Pat Harper (TENN) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #4 Adam Walton/Pat Harper (TENN) def. Alejandro Reguant/Carlos Hassey (ARIZ) 6-2
2. Johannus Monday/Martim Prata (TENN) def. Herman Hoeyeraal/Jonas Ziverts (ARIZ) 6-3
3. Mark Wallner/Giles Hussey (TENN) vs. Nick Lagaev/Filip Malbasic (ARIZ) *5-2, unfinished
Match Notes:
University of Arizona 21-8; National ranking #18
Tennessee 27-3; National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (6,3,2,5,4,1)
T-2:56
The defending champs were on the ropes but No. 4 Texas fought back out of a corner and rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat No. 13 South Carolina 4-3.
South Carolina came out strong in doubles and claimed wins at 1 and 2 and then in singles the teams split opening sets.
South Carolina’s Toby Samuel and Jake Beasley posted straight set wins at 3 and 5 to put the Gamecocks on the doorstep of what would have been their first quarterfinal appearance since 1989. Samuel won 4 of the 5 deciding points in his 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 3 and Beasley won 4 of the 7 deciding points in his 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 5.
Texas started its comeback with Micah Braswell and Cleeve Harper winning in straight sets at 2 and 4.
Brawell jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set en route to taking it 6-3 and then in the second set he won the final 3 games including a comeback from 0/40 down at 5-4 to win 6-3, 6-4.
Harper won his opening set 6-2 but in the second he let a 3-1 lead slip and found himself down a break at 4-3. Harper broke from 30/40 to even it at 4-4 and then after a hold on the deciding point he broke Raphael Lambling at love to win 6-2, 6-4.
Both of the remaining matches would go the distance after South Carolina’s Daniel Rodrigues earned a split at No. 1 and Texas’s Evin McDonald rallied from a set and 3-1 down to take the second set 6-4.
Rodrigues, who is ranked No. 2 after spending a few weeks at No. 1, led UT’s Eliot Spizzirri 3-1 in the final set but Spizzirri reeled off 4 straight games, including two on the deciding point, to go ahead 5-3. On the deciding point with Rodrigues serving at 3-3, he missed his first serve but instead of picking up the ball he left it in the doubles alley and during the point the wind blew it back on the court which seemed to distract him a bit and he subsequently put his next shot into the net. After Rodrigues held from 40/15 to make it 5-4, Spizzirri served it out from 40/15 to win 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
On the final court at No. 6, Evin McDonald opened up a 5-1 lead in the final set but South Carolina’s Thomas Brown fought off 3 match points, 2 on McDonald’s 5-3 service game and 1 on his 4-5 service game, to even it at 5-5. McDonald thought he had won it on the deciding point at 5-4 but the chair overruled his out call on the sideline (ball looked out on the stream). McDonald regained his focus and held at love and then broke Brown from 30/40 to win it 7-5 in the third.
#4 Texas 4, #13 South Carolina 3
5/17/2021 at Orlando, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
Singles competition
1. #23 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. #2 Daniel Rodrigues (SC) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
2. #38 Micah Braswell (UT) def. #22 Connor Thomson (SC) 6-3, 6-4
3. #67 Toby Samuel (SC) def. #75 Siem Woldeab (UT) 6-4, 6-3
4. #108 Cleeve Harper (UT) def. #54 Raphael Lambling (SC) 6-2, 6-4
5. Jake Beasley (SC) def. Chih Chi Huang (UT) 6-3, 6-2
6. Evin McDonald (UT) def. Thomas Brown (SC) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #13 Connor Thomson/Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. #11 Siem Woldeab/Eliot Spizzirri (UT) 6-2
2. Jake Beasley/Toby Samuel (SC) def. #78 Chih Chi Huang/Cleeve Harper (UT) 6-3
3. Micah Braswell/Payton Holden (UT) vs. #80 Phillip Jordan/Raphael Lambling (SC) 5-1, unfinished
Match Notes:
South Carolina 17-10; National ranking #13
Texas 23-5; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (5,3,2,4,1,6)
T-2:50
USC, seeded No. 12, advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons with a 4-2 upset over No. 5 Virginia. USC’s Daniel Cukierman and Riley Smith were the first off the court at No. 1 doubles after a 6-4 win. Cukierman and Smith broke the Carl Soderlund serve at love to go ahead 4-3 and then both Smith and Cukierman would hold at love to secure the win. The match at No. 2 doubles saw no breaks of serve, despite USC having 7 break points (2 were match points) and UVA 1, and ended up in a tiebreak. UVA’s Chris Rodesch and Ryan Goetz led the tiebreak 4-2 however USC’s Stefan Dostanic and Bradley Frye would take 5 of the next 6 points to close it out 7-5. USC had a chance to close out the doubles point earlier at No. 3 but they let a 5-2 lead slip and were receiving up 6-5 at the time of the clinch.
USC followed up the doubles point with four opening sets in singles. Riley Smith made it 2-0 with a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 2 but UVA would answer with straight set wins from Inaki Montes and Gianni Ross at 4 and 6 to even it at 2-2.
Lodewijk Weststrate put USC back in front after a 6-3, 7-5 win at No. 5. UVA’s Ryan Goetz served for the second set up 5-4 and had a pair of set points but Weststrate broke on the deciding point to even it at 5-5. Weststrate then fought off a pair of break points to hold for 6-5 and then he broke Goetz from 30/40 to close it out.
Carl Soderlund and Chris Rodesch both forced third sets on their respective courts but Rodesch wouldn’t be able keep up the momentum against Stefan Dostanic at No. 3.
Dostanic actually served for the match in the second set up 6-3, 5-4, and had a match point, but Rodesch broke on the deciding point and then held and broke again to take the set 7-5. Dostanic broke Rodesch on the deciding point to start the third set and he’d add one more break along the way before closing it out 6-2 in the third.
#12 USC 4, #5 Virginia 2
5/17/2021 at Orlando, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
Singles competition
1. #7 Carl Soderlund (VA) vs. #49 Daniel Cukierman (USC) 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), *1-0 (40/30), unfinished
2. #52 Riley Smith (USC) def. #44 J vd Schulenburg (VA) 6-2, 7-5
3. #116 Stefan Dostanic (USC) def. Chris Rodesch (VA) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
4. #61 Inaki Montes (VA) def. Bradley Frye (USC) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
5. Lodewijk Weststrate (USC) def. #106 Ryan Goetz (VA) 6-3, 7-5
6. Gianni Ross (VA) def. Jake Sands (USC) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #10 Daniel Cukierman/Riley Smith (USC) def. #14 Carl Soderlund/William Woodall (VA) 6-4
2. Stefan Dostanic/Bradley Frye (USC) def. #89 Chris Rodesch/Ryan Goetz (VA) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Inaki Montes/J vd Schulenburg (VA) vs. Jake Sands/Ryder Jackson (USC) 5-6, unfinished
Match Notes:
USC 23-6; National ranking #12
Virginia 23-3; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,6,4,5,3)
T-2:50
Seventh-seeded TCU had one of the most impressive performances of the day with a dominating 4-1 win over No. 35 Ohio State despite the absence of Sander Jong (Dubs 2/Singles 3). The Horned Frogs jumped on Ohio State in doubles and won both courts 1 and 2 by identical 6-4 scores. In singles TCU took five opening sets and would get straight set wins from Luc Fomba, Tomas Jirousek, and Tadeas Paroulek at 2, 4, and 5 while Ohio State’s lone point came from John McNally at 1.
#7 TCU 4, #35 Ohio State 1
5/17/2021 at Orlando, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
Singles competition
1. John McNally (OSU) def. #12 Alastair Gray (TCU) 6-4, 6-0
2. #17 Luc Fomba (TCU) def. #120 Cannon Kingsley (OSU) 6-4, 6-4
3. #110 Jake Fearnley (TCU) vs. James Trotter (OSU) 7-6 (7-1), 4-3, unfinished
4. #94 Tomas Jirousek (TCU) def. Justin Boulais (OSU) 6-2, 6-0
5. Tadeas Paroulek (TCU) def. Kyle Seelig (OSU) 6-4, 6-1
6. Bertus Kruger (TCU) vs. JJ Tracy (OSU) 6-3, 1-6, 1-1, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #2 Alastair Gray/Luc Fomba (TCU) def. James Trotter/Justin Boulais (OSU) 6-4
2. Jake Fearnley/Bertus Kruger (TCU) def. Robert Cash/John McNally (OSU) 6-4
3. Tadeas Paroulek/Tomas Jirousek (TCU) vs. Cannon Kingsley/JJ Tracy (OSU) 2-5, unfinished
Match Notes:
Ohio State 23-3; National ranking #35
TCU 19-7; National ranking #7
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,4,2,5)
T-2:09
Top-ranked and second-seeded Baylor cruised through the doubles point against No. 15 Ole Miss but the Rebels put up much more resistance in singles. Each team won three opening sets but only three of the matches would finish in straight sets with Finn Reynolds winning at 2 for Ole Miss and Nick Stachowiak and Spencer Furman winning at 4 and 6 for Baylor. Charlie Broom fell behind 3-0 in the third set against Simon Junk at No. 5 but Broom would rally and take 6 of the next 7 to clinch the Baylor win.
[2] #1 Baylor 4, [15] #14 Ole Miss 1
5/17/2021 at Orlando, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
Singles competition
1. #21 Adrian Boitan (BU) vs. #32 Tim Sandkaulen (OM) 6-2, 3-6, *4-3, unfinished
2. #16 Finn Reynolds (OM) def. #11 Matias Soto (BU) 6-1, 6-4
3. Sven Lah (BU) vs. #29 Nikola Slavic (OM) 3-6, 6-3, 2-2, unfinished
4. Nick Stachowiak (BU) def. J. Hallquist Lithen (OM) 6-4, 6-0
5. Charlie Broom (BU) def. Simon Junk (OM) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
6. Spencer Furman (BU) def. Lukas Engelhardt (OM) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #9 Constantin Frantzen/Sven Lah (BU) vs. #1 Tim Sandkaulen/Finn Reynolds (OM) 5-2* (40/15), unf
2. #75 Matias Soto/Nick Stachowiak (BU) def. Brady Draheim/Simon Junk (OM) 6-1
3. Charlie Broom/Finn Bass (BU) def. Lukas Engelhardt/Jakob Cadonau (OM) 6-3
Match Notes:
Ole Miss 13-11; National ranking #14
Baylor 32-4; National ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (4,2,6,5)
T-2:32
In the two late matches both Florida and Texas A&M had dominating 4-0 wins over Illinois and Mississippi State. The top seeded Gators took the doubles point and won 9 of 11 sets in singles against Illinois. Andy Andrade, Blaise Bicknell, and Josh Goodger won in straight sets at 3, 4, and 6 while the Gators also had leads on 2 of the 3 other matches that went unfinished.
Texas A&M won the doubles point and all six first sets in singles against Mississippi State. Hady Habib, Raphael Perot, and Noah Schachter won in singles for the Aggies with Schachter clinching at No. 4.
[1] #2 Florida 4, [16] #17 Illinois 0
5/17/2021 at Orlando, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
Singles competition
1. #4 Duarte Vale (UF) vs. Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) 6-4, 3-6, 2-1* (30/40), unfinished
2. #6 Sam Riffice (UF) vs. #124 Siphosothando Montsi (ILL) 7-6 (9-7), 2-3*, unfinished
3. #18 Andy Andrade (UF) def. Alex Brown (ILL) 6-2, 6-3
4. #51 Blaise Bicknell (UF) def. #101 Zeke Clark (ILL) 6-3, 6-3
5. Ben Shelton (UF) vs. Hunter Heck (ILL) 4-6, 6-2, *3-2, unfinished
6. #79 Josh Goodger (UF) def. Noe Khlif (ILL) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Duarte Vale/Johannes Ingildsen (UF) def. #38 Zeke Clark/Alex Brown (ILL) 6-4
2. Sam Riffice/Ben Shelton (UF) def. Siphosothando Montsi/Noe Khlif (ILL) 6-3
3. Hunter Heck/Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) def. Brian Berdusco/Will Grant (UF) 6-4
Match Notes:
Illinois 23-3; National ranking #17
Florida Gators 23-2; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,3,4)
T-2:08
[8] Texas A&M 4, #16 Mississippi State 0
5/17/2021 at Orlando, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
Singles competition
1. #5 Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) vs. #20 Giovanni Oradini (MS) 6-3, 1-6, *2-0 (15/15), unfinished
2. #3 Hady Habib (TAMU) def. #48 Florian Broska (MS) 6-4, 6-1
3. #30 Carlos Aguilar (TAMU) vs. #53 Nemanja Malesevic (MS) 6-3, 3-6, 2-3*, unfinished
4. #100 Noah Schachter (TAMU) def. #121 Alberto Colas (MS) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
5. Guido Marson (TAMU) vs. Carles Hernandez (MS) 6-3, 2-5* (15/15), unfinished
6. Raphael Perot (TAMU) def. Gregor Ramskogler (MS) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #8 Bjorn Thomson/Carlos Aguilar (TAMU) vs. #15 Gregor Ramskogler/Florian Broska (MS) 5-3* (40/40), unfinished
2. #65 Valentin Vacherot/Pierce Rollins (TAMU) def. Nemanja Malesevic/Davide Tortora (MS) 6-3
3. #86 Hady Habib/Noah Schachter (TAMU) def. Nicolas Ocana/Giovanni Oradini (MS) 6-3
Match Notes:
Mississippi State 18-10; National ranking #16
Texas A&M 19-8; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,6,4)
T-2:07
The quarterfinal round will be held on Thursday starting with the Tennessee/Georgia match at 11:00 am ET. The first two matches will be streamed via the TennisOne app and the last two will be streamed via The Tennis Channel. Hopefully the video and live scoring issues we experienced on Monday are completed fixed by Thursday.
Men’s Quarterfinals
#3 Tennessee vs. #11 Georgia (11:00 am ET)
#2 Baylor vs. #7 TCU (2:00 pm)
#4 Texas vs. #12 USC (5:30 pm) –
#1 Florida vs. #8 Texas A&M (NB 7:30 pm)
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