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Saturday Recap: Pac-12 Goes 2-0 In Indian Wells, Texas Tech Wins the HMVC, TCU Over Columbia, Utah State Makes History

by | Mar 20, 2016 | Blog | 8 comments

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It was a good day for the Pac-12 at the BNP Paribas Open Collegiate Tennis Challenge as both No. 14 Cal and No. 12 USC picked up wins over Big 12 opponents.

In the first match of the day it was the Battle of the Bears as Cal took on No. 21 Baylor. BU’s Max Tchoutakian and Tommy Podvinski picked up a 6-2 win at No. 2 but Cal’s Mads Engsted and J.T. Nishimura countered with a 6-3 win at No. 3. Cal’s No. 1 team of Filip Bergevi and Florian Lakat served for the match up 5-3 but BU’s Julian Lenz and Will Little broke and then Lenz held for 5-5. Cal held for 6-5 then Bergevi and Lakat broke the Little serve from 30-40 to win it 7-5.

In singles action there were three close matches and three routs. Baylor only took two first sets but Julian Lenz was able to close out his match over Florian Lakat in straight sets with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 1. Cal’s Filip Bergevi put Cal ahead 2-1 with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Will Little at No. 4 and then Andre Goransson put Cal up 3-1 with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Felipe Rios at No. 3.

Baylor made a charge on the other courts with Max Tchoutakian pushing Billy Griffth to a third set at No. 2 while Tommy Podvinski got the equalizer at No. 6 against J.T. Nishimura. Baylor’s Jimmy Bendeck was also looking good at No. 5 with the freshman up a set and break on Oskar Wikberg.

Baylor needed to win all three matches but it was going to be tough after Max Tchoutakian went down an early double break to Billy Griffith at No. 2. Griffith was serving up 3-0 but Tchoutakian broke and then held to make it 3-2. Griffith, who was playing at No. 2 for the first time this season, wouldn’t get broke again and would hold on to clinch it 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

The other matches were abandoned with BU’s Jimmy Bendeck serving for the match at No. 5 while Cal’s J.T. Nishimura was serving up 2-1 in the third at No. 6.

#14 California 4, #21 Baylor 1
Mar 19, 2016 at Indian Wells, Calif. (Indian Wells Tennis Garden) 
Singles competition
1. #17 Julian Lenz (BU) def. #31 Florian Lakat (CAL) 6-2, 6-2
2. #37 Billy Griffith (CAL) def. #56 Max Tchoutakian (BU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
3. #10 Andre Goransson (CAL) def. Felipe Rios (BU) 6-3, 6-0
4. Filip Bergevi (CAL) def. Will Little (BU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Jimmy Bendeck (BU) vs. #52 Oskar Wikberg (CAL) 7-6(6), *5-4
6. J.T. Nishimura (CAL) vs. Tommy Podvinski (BU) 6-3, 4-6, *2-1
Doubles competition
1. Filip Bergevi/Florian Lakat (CAL) def. #12 Julian Lenz/Will Little (BU) 7-5
2. Max Tchoutakian/Tommy Podvinski (BU) def. Andre Goransson/Billy Griffith (CAL) 6-2
3. Mads Engsted/J.T. Nishimura (CAL) def. Felipe Rios/Jimmy Bendeck (BU) 6-3
Match Notes
California 8-2; National ranking #14
Baylor 11-6; National ranking #21
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (1,4,3,2)
BNP Paribas Open Collegiate Tennis Challenge presented by Oracle
Post-Match Quotes from Cal’s recap
“We got off to a strong start in doubles and carried it into the singles, Cal head coach Peter Wright said. “Billy Griffith continues to be a rock in singles and overall, and our team is doing a good job of creating offensive opportunities and then capitalizing.
“Baylor is always a tough team, and they kept themselves in the match with some outstanding play. It’s fairly warm here, and I think our training has been paying off because we looked like we could play five sets out there today.
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The second match of the day was a rematch from the 2014 National Team Indoor Finals and 2013 NCAA Finals as No. 12 USC met No. 15 Oklahoma.

Oklahoma got off to a good start in doubles when Axel Alvarez and Andrew Harris won 6-2 at No. 1 but USC was determined not to drop a second court. USC’s No. 2 and No. 3 teams were both receiving up 6-5 and Max de Vroome and Jake DeVine would get their break of the Alex Ghilea serve to win it 7-5 at No. 2.

Just seconds later USC’s No. 3 team of Jack Jaede and Tanner Smith would break OU to win that court by the same 7-5 score.

USC got off to a good start in singles by taking opening sets at 1, 2, 5, and 6 while OU got sets at 3, and 4. USC’s Thibault Forget made quick work of Maxime Mora at No. 5 by taking it 6-2, 6-1 in under an hour. USC’s Nick Crystal made it 3-0 when he defeated Alex Ghilea 6-3, 7-5 at No. 2.

Oklahoma’s Andre Biro put the Sooners on the board with a come from behind 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 win over Laurens Verboven at No. 6 but it would slim pickens after that for OU.

USC had a pair of freshmen closing in on the finish line and it’d be Jake DeVine that would get there first with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Spencer Papa at No. 3.

The other matches were abandoned with USC’s Logan Smith leading 5-2 in the third at No. 4 while Oklahoma’s Axel Alvarez led 5-4 in the third at No. 1.

#12 USC 4, #15 Oklahoma 1
Mar 19, 2016 at Indian Wells, Calif. (Indian Wells Tennis Garden)
Singles competition

1. #41 Axel Alvarez (OU) vs. #32 Max de Vroome (USC) 4-6, 6-4, 5-4, unf.
2. #35 Nick Crystal (USC) def. #99 Alex Ghilea (OU) 6-3, 7-5
3. Jake Devine (USC) def. Spencer Papa (OU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
4. #40 Logan Smith (USC) vs. Florin Bragusi (OU) 4-6, 6-3, 5-2 unf.
5. #91 Thibault Forget (USC) def. #92 Maxime Mora (OU) 6-2, 6-1
6. Andre Biro (OU) def. Laurens Verboven (USC) 1-6, 6-0, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Axel Alvarez/Andrew Harris (OU) def. Nick Crystal/Laurens Verboven (USC)  6-2
2. Max de Vroome/Jake Devine (USC) def. Alex Ghilea/Spencer Papa (OU) 7-5
3. Jack Jaede/Tanner Smith (USC) def. Andre Biro/Maxime Mora (OU) 7-5
Match Notes
USC 9-3; National ranking #12
Oklahoma 7-7; National ranking #15
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,2,6,3)
Post-Match Quotes from OU’s recap
“USC played very well today and they deserved to win, head coach John Roddick said. “They played the big points well and took it to us. We’ll have a chance to get back on track against a very good Cal team tomorrow.
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Third-ranked TCU won its seventh straight match by knocking off No. 39 Columbia 4-0.  Columbia’s Mike Vermeer and Michal Rolski won 6-4 at No. 2 but TCU took the other two courts with Hudson Blake and Reese Stalder winning 6-4 at No. 1 while Alex Rybakov and Cameron Norrie won 6-3 at No. 3.

TCU was playing without its usual No. 3 singles player, Guillermo Nunez, but the Horned Frogs did just fine without him. Trevor Johnson made quick work of Richard Pham by picking up a 6-0, 6-2 at No. 5 and a few minutes later Alex Rybakov put TCU up 3-0 with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Victor Pham at No. 2 (for those wondering the Phams are brothers). Reese Stalder would close out the Lions with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Timothy Wang at No. 6.

The other three matches were abandoned with Columbia’s Shawn Hadavi and Mike Vermeer up sets at No. 1 and No. 4 while TCU’s Jerry Lopez led at No. 3.

TCU will be back at it tomorrow against Dartmouth while Columbia returns to the court next Saturday at Cornell.  Listen to Big Tex talk about today’s match:


#3 TCU 4, #39 Columbia 0
March 19, 2016 at Fort Worth, Tx (Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #64 Hadavi, Shawn (COL) vs. #2 Cameron Norrie (TCU) 6-4, 0-3, unf
2. #16 Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. Pham, Victor (COL) 6-2, 6-1
3. Jerry Lopez (TCU) vs. Rubin, Eric (COL) 6-4, 3-2, unf
4. Vermeer, Mike (COL) vs. #109 Eduardo Nava (TCU) 6-2, 3-3, unf.
5. Trevor Johnson (TCU) def. Pham, Richard (COL) 6-0, 6-2
6. Reese Stalder (TCU) def. Wang, Timothy (COL) 6-0, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Hudson Blake/Reese Stalder (TCU) def. #10 Hadavi, Shawn/Pham, Richard (COL) 6-4
2. #32 Vermeer, Mike/Rolski, Michal (COL) def. Trevor Johnson/Jerry Lopez (TCU) 6-4
3. Alex Rybakov/Cameron Norrie (TCU) def. Grant, Christopher/Alda, Miguel (COL) 6-3
Match Notes:
Columbia 10-5; National ranking #39
TCU 12-2; National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,2,6)
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Eighth-ranked Texas Tech won the Hilton San Diego Mission Valley Spring Classic with a hard fought 4-3 win over No. 28 Tulane. The Red Raiders claimed the doubles point with a 7-5 win at No. 2 and a 6-3 win at No. 3 while Tulane won 6-3 at No. 1.

Tulane tied the match at 1-1 when the ITA #1 Dominik Koepfer cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Felipe Soares at No. 1. Texas Tech retook the lead when freshman Bjorn Thomson knocked off Alex Van Cott 6-2, 6-4 at No. 5 and then Alex Sendegeya made it 3-1 when he defeated Sebastian Rey 6-3, 7-6(7) at No. 3.

It looked like Tech’s Connor Curry would get the clincher when he led 6-2, 4-1 at No. 6 but Tulane’s Tyler Schick rallied to take the second set in a tiebreak.

Tulane’s Constantin Schmitz put the Green Waves second point on the board with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 win over Hugo Dojas at No. 2 and then Tyler Schick tied the match at 3-3 with a 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 win over Connor Curry at No. 6.

Texas Tech’s Jolan Cailleau came all the way back from 6-3, 5-1 down to clinch the win and tournament title with a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 win over Chi-Shan Jao at No. 4.

#8 Texas Tech 4, #28 Tulane 3
Mar 19, 2016 at San Diego, Calif. (Aztec Tennis Center) 
Singles competition
1. #1 Dominik Koepfer (TLN) def. #22 Felipe Soares (TT) 6-3, 6-1
2. #111 Constantin Schmitz (TLN) def. #94 Hugo Dojas (TT) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
3. #124 Alex Sendegeya (TT) def. Sebastian Rey (TLN) 6-3, 7-6(7)
4. Jolan Cailleau (TT) def. Chi-Shan Jao (TLN) 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4
5. Bjorn Thomson (TT) def. Alex Van Cott (TLN) 6-1, 6-4
6. Tyler Schick (TLN) def. Connor Curry (TT) 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #33 Chi-Shan Jao/Dominik Koepfer (TLN) def. #1 Hugo Dojas/Felipe Soares (TT) 6-4
2. #44 Alex Sendegeya/Bjorn Thomson (TT) def. Constantin Schmitz/Sebastian Rey (TLN) 7-5
3. Jolan Cailleau/Connor Curry (TT) def. Nikolas Tukic/Tyler Schick (TLN) 6-3
Match Notes
Tulane 19-2; National ranking #28
Texas Tech 11-4; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,5,3,2,6,4)
T-3:26

Post-Match Quotes from Texas Tech’s recap

“This was a great team win today, Texas Tech head coach Brett Masi said. “It was a gutsy and hard fought performance. We had an opportunity to close out the match at six and didn’t. They had a chance at four and Jolan battled back from down a set and down 5-1 to clinch the match. Incredible fight and belief shown by him.

“I’m very proud of our team to come out to California and win four matches in six days especially against the level of competition we faced, Masi said. “That isn’t easy against anyone. We will have a couple days off and get ready for another tough tournament next weekend in Houston. I know our team will be ready, and we have to be ready to do it again.

Post-Match Quote from Tulane’s recap
“This one stings but what an unbelievable match, Tulane head coach Mark Booras said. “Went back and forth all day at most of the positions. We had some match points but didn’t convert. Our guys fought their tails off after losing a tight doubles point to get us back into it and give us a chance to win four singles matches. Need to chalk this one up to experience and come out hungry for the next one.

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Utah State defeated Boise State for the first time in school history with a 4-3 win on Saturday. Utah State took the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 and then the Aggies went up 3-0 with wins from Jack Swindels and Samuel Serrano at No. 3 and No. 5.

Boise State cut the deficit to 3-1 with a straight set win from Abe Hewko at No. 6 but Utah State’s Jonas Maier was close to clinching at No. 2 with a 4-1 lead in the third over Thomas Tenreiro. The BSU senior would rally to take six of the next seven games to close out Maier 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Boise State was looking good when Brian Foley led Jaime Barajas 5-2 in the third at No. 1 and Kyle Butters led Luis Lopez by a set at No. 4. However Barajas would come back and win the last five games to stun Foley 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 and clinch the USU win.

They played the remaining match out with Butters needing three-sets to get past Lopez 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 at No. 4.

#58 Utah State 4, Boise State 3
Mar 19, 2016 at Logan, Utah (USU Outdoor Courts) 
Singles competition
1. Jaime Barajas (USU) def. Brian Foley (BSU) 1-6, 7-5, 7-5
2. Thomas Tenreiro (BSU) def. Jonas Maier (USU) 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
3. Jack Swindells (USU) def. Toby Mitchell (BSU) 6-2, 6-2
4. Kyle Butters (BSU) def. Luis Lopez (USU) 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 7-5
5. Samuel Serrano (USU) def. Pedro Platzeck (BSU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Abe Hewko (BSU) def. Romai Ugarte (USU) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Romai Ugarte/Luis Lopez (USU) vs. Kyle Butters/Toby Mitchell (BSU) 5-4, unfinished
2. Jack Swindells/Jonas Maier (USU) def. Thomas Tenreiro/Lewis Roskilly (BSU) 6-4
3. Andrew Nakajima/Jaime Barajas (USU) def. Brian Foley/Pedro Platzeck (BSU) 6-1
Match Notes
Boise State 9-8
Utah State 14-5; National ranking #58
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,3,6,2,1,4)
Post-Match Quotes from Utah State’s recap
“We’re taking it one match at a time,” said USU head coach Clancy Shields, a Boise State alumnus. “Our ultimate goal is at the end of the year, so this was obviously a big step for us, as they’ve won it four years in a row. We won, but we could have improved on some areas, and I think the guys know that. But we’ll celebrate this. We’ve never beaten Boise State in our program history, so it’s a milestone victory.”

___________________________________________________________

Other scores from San Diego:

#34 San Diego 4, #36 Princeton 0
Mar 19, 2016 at San Diego (Skip & Cindy Hogan Tennis Center) 
Singles competition
1. #26 Uros Petronijevic (USD) def. Diego Vives (PU) 6-4, 6-3
2. #53 Jordan Angus (USD) def. Thomas Colautti (PU) 6-3, 7-6
3. Filip Vittek (USD) def. #104 Alexander Day (PU) 6-3, 6-4
4. #118 Romain Kalaydjian (USD) vs. Joshua Yablon (PU) 7-6, 4-1, unf
5. Jaan Kononov (USD) vs. Luke Gamble (PU) 7-6, 2-2, unf.
6. Alexandros Araouzos (USD) vs. Kial Kaiser (PU) 7-6, 4-3, unf
Doubles competition
1. Uros Petronijevic/Filip Vittek (USD) def. Alexander Day/Luke Gamble (PU) 6-4
2. Diego Vives/Jimmy Wasserman (PU) def. Alexandros Araouzos/Romain Kalaydjian (USD) 6-3
3. Jordan Angus/Jaan Kononov (USD) def. Kial Kaiser/Ben Tso (PU) 6-4
Match Notes
San Diego 11-7; National ranking #34
Princeton 12-7; National ranking #36
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,3,2)

Post-Match Quote from Princeton’s recap
Coach Billy Pate on the match: “Credit to USD, they played a great match. I was pleased with how we went after it today, emotionally and physically. We gave ourselves a chance, but simply couldn’t grab one of those tight first sets. Losing 4 of 6 singles in first-set tiebreakers was disappointing, especially considering how strong the top half of USD’s lineup is. That’s where they are particularly experienced and dangerous. Nonetheless, this was a successful tournament and we’re excited to prepare for league play.”

#26 Memphis 4, #46 Denver 2
Mar 19, 2016 at San Diego, Calif. (Hogan Tennis Center)

Singles competition
1. #86 Andrew Watson (MEM) def. Henry Craig (DEN) 7-6 (6), 6-0 
2. #61 Ryan Peniston (MEM) def. Diogo Rocha (DEN) 6-3, 6-3 
3. David Fox (DEN) def. Kai Lemke (MEM) 6-2, 6-3 
4. Alex Gasson (DEN) def. Chris Patzanovsky (MEM) 6-4, 6-3 
5. Yannik James (DEN) Felix Rauch (MEM) 4-6, 6-4, 2-2, unf.
6. Shakeel Manji (MEM) def. Zach Fryer 6-2, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Kai Lemke/Louis Asser (MEM) def. David Fox/Alex Gasson (DEN) 6-3
2. Diogo Rocha/Henry Craig (DEN) Ryan Peniston/Felix Rauch (MEM) unf.
3. Andrew Watson/Shakeel Manhji (MEM) def. Jesse Ruder-Hook/Yannik James (DEN) 6-2

#49 Harvard 4, #75 San Diego State 1
March 19, 2016 at San Diego, Ca (Aztec Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #100 Freddy Gelbrich (SDSU) vs. Nicky Hu (HARV), 6-4, 6-7 (2), DNF
2. Hendrik Jebens (SDSU) vs. Sebastian Beltrame (HARV), 6-3, 6-4
3. Kenny Tao (HARV) def. Milen Ianakiev (SDSU), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Brian Yeung (HARV) def. Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU), 7-6 (5), 6-4
5. Andy Zhou (HARV) def. Cornelius Kolb (SDSU), 6-2, 6-1
6. Jonas Meinzer (SDSU) vs. Christopher Morrow (HARV), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 1-0 DNF
Doubles competition
1. Nicky Hu/Brian Yeung (HARV) def. Freddy Gelbrich/Hendrik Jebens (SDSU), 7-5
2. Santiago Cevallos/Milen Ianakiev (SDSU) def. Sebastian Beltrame/Jean Thirouin (HARV), 6-4
3. Christopher Morrow/Andy Zhou (HARV) def. S Gjoels-Andersen/J Meinzer (SDSU), 6-0
Match Notes
Harvard 10-8; National ranking #49
San Diego State 5-9; National ranking #75
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2.1); Singles (5,2,3,4)
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Six-ranked Oklahoma State went to Malibu and took the doubles point and then won all six singles matches in a 7-0 win over #71 Pepperdine.

#6 Oklahoma State 7, #71 Pepperdine 0
Mar 19, 2016 at Malibu, Calif. (Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center) 
Singles competition
1. #49 Julian Cash (OSU) def. Hadlich, Guilherme (PEP) 2-6, 6-4, 7-5
2. Lucas Gerch (OSU) def. Pane, Lautaro (PEP) 7-5, 7-6 (11-9)
3. #115 Arjun Kadhe (OSU) def. Sidney, Gabriel (PEP) 6-2, 6-2
4. Tristan Meraut (OSU) def. Menichella, Stefan (PEP) 6-2, 6-4
5. Lukas Finzelberg (OSU) def. Iamachkine, Pedro (PEP) 6-4, 6-3
6. #125 Jurence Mendoza (OSU) def. Van Slyke, Jack (PEP) 4-6, 6-4, 10-8
Doubles competition
1. #9 Julian Cash/Arjun Kadhe (OSU) vs. #27 Guilherme Hadlich/Gabriel Sidney (PEP) 5-4, unf.
2. Lucas Gerch/Tristan Meraut (OSU) def. Pedro Iamachkine/Lautaro Pane (PEP) 6-3
3. Lukas Finzelberg/Jurence Mendoza (OSU) def. Tom Hill/Stefan Menichella (PEP) 6-2
Match Notes
Oklahoma State 14-1; National ranking #6
Pepperdine 5-5, 1-0 WCC; National ranking #71
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,4,5,6,1,2)

8 Comments

  1. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    Losing a guy with an ATP ranking in the 400s definitely will hurt some – I guess we'll find out how much when they play Tulsa on 4/1, Texas on 4/8, and TCU on 4/10. If he were playing at #5 or #6 then it wouldn't be as big a deal but losing a top of the lineup guy is – just ask Oklahoma.

  2. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    Do you think that'll really hurt though? They have a solid guy to step into #6

  3. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    He left school to go back on the tour – short 2 month stay in Stillwater

  4. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    I've been meaning to try find out where Ismailov went – assuming injured. If I hear anything I'll pass it along.

  5. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    It was on the schedule up until a few weeks ago then Baylor dropped it to avoid taking another guaranteed loss – that's when those Prairie View matches popped in so it can keep its record above .500. UCLA was able to replace BU with BYU.

  6. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    I think after this weekend, Baylor needed more wins. They 're-scheduled the UCLA match and are playing another triple header against Prairie View!

  7. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    any idea where the new kid is for Okie State? Injured? Has not played in the last few matches

  8. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    I could have sworn Baylor was to play Ucla in a few weeks in LA. Now I don' t see it on the schedule. Did Baylor cancel this match?