Tagged with: Florida, Mississippi State, Northwestern, South Florida, UCF, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington

Sunday was a day of near upsets with a pair of top 5 men’s teams narrowly avoiding a big loss on the road. Second-ranked Wake Forest, who was playing without Borna Gojo (playing Canada Challenger) got all it wanted and more from #49 UCF.

The Knights took the early lead with 6-2 wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles and then the teams split opening sets in singles. Wake senior and ITA #1 Petros Chrysochos evened the match at 1-1 with a straight set win at No. 1 and freshman Siddhant Banthia put the Deacs ahead with a straight set win at No. 6. UCF freshman Trey Hilderbrand tied it back up with a straight set win at No. 5 but Wake freshman Melios Efstathiou won a close 7-6, 7-5 match at No. 4. Both of the remaining matches went three sets with UCF freshman Bogdan Pavel finishing first with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win at No. 3 which evened the match at 3-3. In the final match on court at No. 2, Wake sophomore Bar Botzer broke UCF sophomore Alan Rubio to go ahead 2-1 in the final frame and then he added one more break to clinch with a 6-7, 6-1, 6-3 win. 

We played really good doubles today. We lost a set here or there but in general weve been strong in doubles all season and today was no exception, said Director of Tennis John Roddick, That really set the tone for us to be able to compete in that match. We went out and won some first sets which put us in a position that we wanted to be in; taking the national champions and the No. 2 team in the country down to the last match. For our team, it shows that we are really making strides and compete at the highest level. Our guys should grow from that, matches like that prove that you belong.

#2 Wake Forest 4, #49 UCF 3
Mar 10, 2019 at Orlando, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
Singles Competition
1. #2 Petros Chrysochos (WF) def. #18 Gabriel Decamps (UCF) 6-3, 6-3
2. #21 Bar Botzer (WF) def. #122 Alan Rubio (UCF) 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-3
3. Bogdan Pavel (UCF) def. Rrezart Cungu (WF) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
4. #60 Melios Efstathiou (WF) def. Juan Pablo Mazzuchi (UCF) 7-6 (7-2), 7-5
5. Trey Hilderbrand (UCF) def. Yuval Solomon (WF) 6-3, 7-5
6. Siddhant Banthia (WF) def. Mikhail Sokolovskiy (UCF) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Trey Hilderbrand/Bogdan Pavel (UCF) def. #35 Petros Chrysochos/Bar Botzer (WF) 6-2
2. Juan Pablo Mazzuchi/Gabriel Decamps (UCF) def. Alan Gadjiev/Melios Efstathiou (WF) 6-2
3. Julian Zlobinsky/Siddhant Banthia (WF) def. Mikhail Sokolovskiy/Alan Rubio (UCF) 6-3
Match Notes:
Wake Forest 14-2; National ranking #2
UCF 8-5; National ranking #49
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,6,5,4,3,2) Played on collegiate courts 7-12
Official: D. Childs T-2:57 A-173

 

Fourth-ranked Virginia was in a war itself just down I-4 against South Florida. The Cavaliers found themselves in a 1-0 hole after dropping the doubles point but they bounced back in singles by taking five opening sets. UVA’s Brandon Nakashima, Henrik Wiersholm, and Gianni Ross won in straight sets at 2, 3, and 4 while USF’s Alberto Barroso-Campos won in straights at 1. USF freshman Sergio Gomez Montesa tied the match at 3-3 with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 6 and fellow freshman Ivan Yatsuk had a 3-1 lead in the final set at No. 5 against UVA senior Aswin Lizen. However just when it looked like the Bulls might get it done Lizen stormed back to take the final five games to win 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. 

USF head coach Ashley Fisher on nearly defeating No. 4 Virginia: “I’m really proud and excited about the trajectory of this group right now. We talk a lot about wanting to keep our eyes on the direction and it’s special to see how far we have come. This loss stings a little, but what we will take from it is when we commit to playing as unit with the right energy and intensity, we can compete with any team.”

#4 Virginia 4, South Florida 3
March 10, 2019 at Tampa, Fla (Varsity Tennis Courts)
Doubles Results (2,1)
1. #77 Alberto Barroso-Camp/Pierre Luquet (USF) def. Carl Soderlund/William Woodall (VA) 6-4
2. Jakub Wojcik/Ivan Yatsuk (USF) def. #71 Henrik Wiersholm/Brandon Nakashima (VA) 6-3
3. Aswin Lizen/Ryan Goetz (VA) vs. Chase Ferguson/Sergio Gomez Montesa (USF) 5-5
Singles Results (3,2,1,4,6,5)
1. #29 Alberto Barroso-Camp (USF) def. #15 Carl Soderlund (VA) 6-0, 7-6 (7-5)
2. #50 Brandon Nakashima (VA) def. Chase Ferguson (USF) 6-2, 7-5
3. Henrik Wiersholm (VA) def. Pierre Luquet (USF) 6-3, 6-1
4. #92 Gianni Ross (VA) def. Jakub Wojcik (USF) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
5. #96 Aswin Lizen (VA) def. Ivan Yatsuk (USF) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
6. Sergio Gomez Montesa (USF) def. Matthew Lord (VA) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1

 

In a battle of the top 10 SEC teams it was #9 Florida defeating #10/#11 Mississippi State 5-2. The Gators dropped the doubles point but came back strong in singles with five opening sets. Andres Andrade, Sam Riffice, and Lukas Greif each won in straight sets to put the Gators up 3-1 and junior Johannes Ingildsen clinched at 4-1 with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win at No. 4. The final two matches were played out with MSU’s Nuno Borges winning at 1 and UF’s Duarte Vale winning at 6.  

“Our guys competed their tails off today and I’m proud of how we gave ourselves very good chances down the stretch,” MSU head coach Matt Roberts said. “We had momentum on a few singles courts with the doubles point in hand, and needed to close out those sets if we were going to upset Florida on their courts.”

“Florida plays very well at home with the conditions there and we made some great mid-match adjustments today,” Roberts said. “We just didn’t take our chances when we needed to. We have a resilient group of young men that play so hard for each other and for MSU. This match will only make us better and we look forward to going back to South Carolina to finish our match tomorrow.”

#9 Florida 5, #10 Mississippi State 2
3/10/2019 at Gainesville, FL (Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex)
Singles Competition
1.#3 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #24 Oliver Crawford (UF) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)
2. #54 Andres Andrade (UF) def. #102 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) 6-4, 7-5
3. #48 Sam Riffice (UF) def. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-0, 6-3
4. #79 Johannes Ingildsen (UF) def. Niclas Braun (MSU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
5. Lukas Greif (UF) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-0, 6-3
6. Duarte Vale (UF) def. Florian Broska (MSU) 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1.#7 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. #73 McClain Kessler/Duarte Vale (UF) 6-3
2. #3 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Johannes Ingildsen/Alfredo Perez (UF) 6-3
3. Oliver Crawford/Sam Riffice (UF) def. Trevor Foshey/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) 6-1
Match Notes:
Mississippi State 10-3; National ranking #10
University of Florida 9-2; National ranking #9
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,3,2,4,1,6)
A-375

 

On the women’s side ITA #7/USTA #21 Washington avoided an upset with a 4-3 win over Utah in Salt Lake City. The Utes took the doubles point and added straight set wins in singles from Brianna Chisholm and Emily Dush at 1 and 3 while Washington got straight set wins from Vanessa Wong, Sedona Gallagher, and Nika Zupancic at 2, 5, and 6. The final match at No. 4 was decided in a third set and it’d be junior Natsuho Arakawa that would clinch with a late break to seal a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 win. 

“Today was a great win for us,” said UW freshman Sedona Gallagher. “Utah played a really solid match and we had to fight hard on every court. I’m extremely proud of the team and I can’t wait to keep competing in Pac-12 play alongside them.”

“I could not have clinched the match today without the support and love we have on this team,” commented Arakawa. “I heard everyone’s voice and heart out there and that’s why I kept fighting. There is no other team that I want to be on and give it my all for.”

“I am proud of the effort by our team today,” Utah head coach Mat Iandolo said. “If people didn’t think we could be a great team, I think they are convinced otherwise after today. We were just a couple of points short of a top-ten win. We have to use this as a learning experience to move forward because next time we are in this situation, we want to come away with the victory.”

#7 Washington 4, Utah 3
March 10, 2019 at Salt Lake City, Utah (Eccles Tennis Center)
Doubles Results (1, 2)
1. Brianna Chisholm/Madison Tattini (Utah) def. #43 Stacey Fung/Nika Zupancic: 6-2
2. Whitney Hekking/Leah Heimuli (Utah) def. Vanessa Wong/Zoey Weil: 6-4
3. Emily Dush/Anya Lamoreaux (Utah) vs. Sedona Gallagher/Kenadi Hance: 5-4 (Unf.)
Singles Results (5, 2, 3, 6, 1, 4)
1. Brianna Chisholm (Utah) def. #69 Stacey Fung: 7-5, 7-6 (1)
2. #112 Vanessa Wong (UW) def. Madison Tattini: 6-1, 7-5
3. Emily Dush (Utah) def. Katarina Kopcalic: 7-5, 6-3
4. Natsuho Arakawa (UW) def. Whitney Hekking: 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
5. Sedona Gallagher (UW) def. Leah Heimuli: 6-0, 6-3
6. Nika Zupancic (UW) def. Anya Lamoreaux: 6-2, 6-2

 

#13/#22 Northwestern improved to 3-0 in Big Ten play with a 4-3 win on the road over Purdue. The Wildcats won a close doubles point that was decided in a tiebreak at No. 2 but Purdue would take five opening sets in singles. Purdue won in straight sets at 1 and 3 while Northwestern picked up a straight set win at 4. The three remaining matches went the distance with Purdue’s Ena Babic winning 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 at No. 2 but Northwestern took the other two with Rheeya Doshi winning 1-6, 6-4, 6-0 at No. 5 and Carol Finke winning 1-6, 7-6, 6-2 at No. 6. Neither school listed an order of finish but I’m guessing Northwestern clinched at 4-2 with the match at No. 2 finishing last. Also Northwestern’s recap showed them winning at No. 3 singles but without a score listed. No result had been entered in the ITA’s results portal as of Monday morning so who knows for sure but I think it was 4-3. 

#13 Northwestern 4, Purdue 3
March 10, 2019 at West Lafayette, Ind
Singles Competition
1. #31 Silvia Ambrosio (PUR_W) def. Clarissa Hand (NU(W)) 6-4, 6-4
2. Ena Babic (PUR_W) def. Julie Byrne (NU(W)) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
3. Amina Mukhametshina (PUR_W) def. Lee Or (NU(W)) 6-1, 6-3
4. Caroline Pozo (NU(W)) def. Seira Shimizu (PUR_W) 6-3, 6-4
5. Rheeya Doshi (NU(W)) def. Zala Dovnik (PUR_W) 1-6, 6-4, 6-0
6. Carol Finke (NU(W)) def. Caitlin Calkins (PUR_W) 1-6, 7-6 (4-0), 6-2
Doubles Competition 
1. #77 Silvia Ambrosio/Amina Mukhametshina (PUR_W) def. Clarissa Hand/Lee Or (NU(W)) 6-3
2. Julie Byrne/Hannah McColgan (NU(W)) def. Caitlin Calkins/Ena Babic (PUR_W) 7-6 (6-0)
3. Inci Ogut/Rheeya Doshi (NU(W)) def. Zala Dovnik/Seira Shimizu (PUR_W) 6-2 

 

Other Men’s Results

• #3 Texas def. #35 NC State 6-0 – Horns won four singles matches in straights with the other two in three sets – doubles was not played due to rain expected 
• #13 Notre Dame won at #46 Louisville 4-0 – Irish won the dubs decider in a tiebreak and added quick singles wins at 1 and 5 and Grayson Broadus clinched at 6 with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 win (Alex Lebedev didn’t play for ND)
• #15 Illinois def. Indiana 6-1 – Illini took dubs and won four singles matches in straight sets 
• #16 Minnesota won at Wisconsin 4-3 – Gophers won dubs and Josip Krstanovic won the decider at No. 1 singles 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4
• #17 Alabama won at #26 Vanderbilt 5-2 – Tide took dubs and won 0 & 1 at No. 6 singles – four singles matches went three sets with Bama winning three of them 
• #23 Penn def. Clemson 4-1 – Quakers took dubs and added straight set wins at 1 and 3 and Max Cancilla clinched at No. 5 with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win
• #29 South Carolina def. #40 Ole Miss 4-3 – Gamecocks clinched at 4-1 with the doubles point and straight set wins at 1, 2, and 3
• #30 Oklahoma State def. #50 Memphis 4-2 – Cowboys dropped the doubles point but won in straights at 1 and 2 singles and in three sets at 3 (6-2) and 5 (6-4)
• #32 Texas Tech won at #45 Northwestern 4-2 – Red Raiders won almost all the close sets taking four of five that went to a tiebreak – Franco Ribero clinched 7-5, 7-6 at No. 6
• #43 Miami FL def. #37 Florida State 4-0 – Canes won this neutral site match in Lake Nona with the doubles point and straight set wins at 3, 4, and 6 – other matches were in a third set with UM leading two of them
• #44 Kentucky def Auburn 5-2 – Wildcats dropped the doubles point but added five straight set wins in singles (all six matches finished in straights)
• Georgia Southern def. Kennesaw State 4-3 – Eagles came back from 3-2 down with Diego Finkelstein winning 6-7, 7-5, 6-4 at No. 3 and Murphy McCullough winning the decider 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) at No. 4
• Iowa won at Nebraska 5-2 – Hawkeyes took dubs and swept 3 through 6 singles with three of those in straight sets

• Colorado def. #28 Washington State 4-3 – Buffs defeated their first top 30 opponent since 2007 with Tallulah Farrow winning the decider at No. 5 singles 6-4, 6-2 (played indoors on three courts)
• #33 Tennessee def. #15 LSU 4-0 – Vols took dubs and won in straights at 2, 4, and 6 
• #1 North Carolina vs. Clemson was rained out
• #2 Georgia def. #21 Texas A&M 4-0 – Bulldogs won every completed set in singles
• #4 Stanford won at Oregon 7-0 – Cardinal won all six singles matches in straight sets
• #5 Vanderbilt won at Alabama 4-0 – Dores took dubs and won in straights at 1, 3 and 4 – two of the remaining matches were in a third set with the other about to split sets (win #500 for Geoff Macdonald)
• #8 Oklahoma State won at #40 Wichita State 4-0 – Cowgirls took dubs and won in straights at 2 and 4 while picking up a forfeit win at 6. 
• #9 South Carolina won at #44 Arkansas 4-0 – Gamecocks won every completed set in singles
• #18 Kentucky won at #36 Auburn 4-1 – Wildcats took dubs and added straight set wins in singles at 1, 3, and 6
• #24 Old Dominion won at #50 Baylor 4-3 – Monarchs took dubs and Yulia Starodubtseva won the decider at No. 4 singles 7-6, 6-4 – all singles matches finished in straight sets
• #27 UCF def. Penn 5-2 – Knights won their 11th match in a row despite dropping the doubles point – won in straights at 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (all lopsided)
• #30 Texas Tech def. #38 Rice 4-2 – Red Raiders took dubs and Olivia Peet clinched at No. 5 with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 win – Rice led other court 5-2 in the third
• #32 Georgia Tech won at Louisville 4-0 – Jackets won the dubs decider in a tiebreak and added straight set wins at 1 and 6 with a three set win at 5
• #45 Florida won at #41 Missouri 4-1 – Gators took dubs and added straight set wins at 1, 2, and 5
• St. John’s won at Harvard 4-3 – Red Storm came back from 3-1 down winning the final three matches in third sets (6-4, 6-2, 6-3)