A pair of top 20 matches highlighted the day on the men’s side while there was a top 7 showdown on the women’s side.
In Winston Salem, second-ranked Wake Forest avenged an early season loss to third-ranked Virginia with a convincing 6-1 win. The Demon Deacons opened things up by taking the doubles point with a 6-4 win at No. 3 and a 7-5 win at No. 3. Wake would add five opening sets in singles, with three of them coming in tiebreaks, and they’d close four of those out in straight sets with freshman Melios Efstathiou clinching at No. 4 with a 7-6, 6-3 win. Full results available at this link.
#6 Baylor won the BNP Paribas Collegiate Challenge in Indian Wells with a 4-2 win over #16 USC. The Bears won the doubles point and added straight set wins from Matias Soto, Sven Lah, and Jimmy Bendeck at 2, 5, and 6 while USC got straight set wins from Brandon Holt and Riley Smith at 1 and 4. The match at No. 3 went unfinished with USC’s Laurens Verboven leading 5-3 in the third.
The second-ranked Georgia women improved to 13-0 and 5-0 in the SEC after picking up a nice 4-2 win on the road over seventh-ranked South Carolina. Georgia dropped the doubles point for the first time since the National Team Indoors and then the teams split opening sets in singles. Georgia picked up straight set wins from Lourdes Carle and Vivian Wolff at No. 3 and No. 4 while South Carolina’s Paige Cline won in straight sets at No. 2.
Georgia’s Elena Christofi gave the Dawgs its first lead of the match with a 0-6, 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 5 and Meg Kowalski would clinch at No. 6 with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win. The match at No 1 went unfinished at 5-5 in the third after SC’s Ingrid Gamarra Martins reeled off four straight games from 1-5 down.
“It was a huge doubles point as both teams were playing high level tennis and you just aren’t going to win each doubles point even if we’ve won five in a row,” Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace said. “We lose this one, however your player were ready for the challenge here on the road. South Carolina was loud, playing aggressive, and really bringing it, but our players responded in Bulldog fashion.”
“Meg [Kowalski] did a great job,” Wallace added. “She let it go a little in the second set, but she rebounded nicely and clinched it in the third set for us. It was a heck of a match and a great weekend, a lot of tough tennis on the road, which it is tough when it is a top-10 team, but even tougher when it is a SEC opponent. Our players did an outstanding job.”
#2 Georgia 4, #7 South Carolina 2
March 17, 2019 at Columbia, SC
Singles competition
1. #9 I. Gamarra Martins (SC) vs. #1 Katarina Jokic (UGA) 7-5, 1-6, 5-5, unfinished
2. #49 Paige Cline (SC) def. #16 Marta Gonzalez (UGA) 6-0, 7-5
3. #92 Lourdes Carle (UGA) def. #99 Mia Horvit (SC) 6-3, 6-4
4. #35 Vivian Wolff (UGA) def. Megan Davies (SC) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
5. Elena Christofi (UGA) def. Silvia Chinellato (SC) 0-6, 6-3, 6-3
6. #95 Meg Kowalski (UGA) def. Kennedy Wicker (SC) 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #7 I. Gamarra Martins/Mia Horvit (SC) def. #74 Katarina Jokic/Lourdes Carle (UGA) 6-2
2. Elena Christofi/Vivian Wolff (UGA) def. Silvia Chinellato/Paige Cline (SC) 6-1
3. Megan Davies/Kennedy Wicker (SC) def. Meg Kowalski/Marta Gonzalez (UGA) 6-4
Match Notes:
Georgia 13-0, 5-0 SEC; National ranking #2
South Carolina 10-3, 5-1 SEC; National ranking #7
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,2,4,5,6)
Other Men’s Results
- Arizona State def. #31 Cal 4-3 (Indian Wells) – ASU’s Tim Ruehl won the decider at No. 4 singles 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
- Georgia Tech def. #44 Duke 4-3 – Yellow Jacket freshman Pablo Schelcher won the decider at No. 5 with a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(9) win.
- #41 Florida State def. #11 Notre Dame 4-3 – Seminole freshman Juan Martin Jalif won the decider at No. 4 with a 7-6(2), 1-6, 6-4 win. Notable absences: FSU’s Dougaz & ND’s Lebedev and Ciamarra
- #8 Florida won at #22 Tennessee 5-2 – Gators dropped dubs but Crawford, Riffice, and Vale won in straights and Ingildsen and Greif won in three sets
- #7 North Carolina won at Clemson 4-0 – Heels got straight set wins from Blumberg, Sigouin, and Boyden
- #13 Michigan def. Purdue 4-0 (Indian Wells) – Wolverines won its three matches in straight sets (most close) and the others were in third sets
- #26 Georgia def. #24 South Carolina 5-2 – Bulldog senior Jan Zielinski clinched at No. 2 with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win – Henning retired at No. 4 down 5-7, 2-4
- #27 NC State def. Louisville 4-1 – All matches finished in straights and none of them were close
- #36 Miami def. Boston College 4-0 – Canes only dropped one set in singles
- Wichita State def. Charlotte 4-3 – WSU’s Murkel Dellien made it 4-2 with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win at No. 2
Other Women’s Results
- #4 Vanderbilt won at #19 LSU 4-3 – Vandy’s Carolyn Campana won the decider at No. 5 with 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 win
- #34 Florida def. #16 Tennessee 4-2 – Gators dropped the doubles point but won at 1, 2, 3, and 4 with three of those in straight sets – match played indoors on three courts
- #10 Kansas won at #30 Oklahoma 4-3 – Jayhawks clinched at 4-2 with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) by Malkia Ngounoue at No. 6
- #11 Oklahoma State def. #33 Kansas State 6-1 – Cowgirls won in straight sets at 1, 3, 5, and 6 plus added a win at 4 in a supertiebreak
- #15 Wake Forest def. #32 Syracuse 5-2 – Deacs won a pair of tiebreaks in doubles and after dropping 1 and 2 singles won the other four with three coming in three sets (6-3, 7-6, 6-3)
- #22 Florida State def. #42 Notre Dame 6-1 – Noles dropped the doubles point but then won all but one set in singles
- #27 Miami def. #31 Georgia Tech 6-1 – Canes took dubs and added five straight set wins in singles
- #29 Texas A&M def. #21 Kentucky 4-1 – Aggies took dubs and added a pair of straight set wins and Tatiana Makarova clinched at No. 3 with a 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 win
- Ole Miss def. #39 Auburn 4-2 – Rebels dropped the doubles point but won in straights 1, 2, 3, and 5
- #3 Duke def. Pitt 7-0 – Blue Devils won all 12 sets in singles – 10 were 6-2 or better
- #13 Ohio State def. #49 Penn State 6-1 – Buckeyes clinched at 4-0 with a Danielle Wolf 7-6, 6-3 win at No. 4
- #23 Michigan def. Iowa 7-0 – Wolverines won 12 of 13 sets in singles
- #28 UCF def. Wichita State 4-0 – Knights won all but one completed set in singles
- #41 Rice def. Dartmouth 6-1 – Owls won three singles matches in straight sets with the other three playing a 10 point supertiebreak in lieu of a third set
- #47 Boston College def. Virginia Tech 5-2 – All but one match finished in straight sets
*All quotes are from the respective school’s recaps
**If there are two rankings listed the first ranking is the ITA ranking and the second is the USTA rankings
Last I heard Baylor was still trying to get Juan Benitez eligible – may not play this season. I've got my doubts about whether Roy Smith is still on the team or in school. Hasn't played a college match since the kickoff weekend while playing in multiple pro events including one in Japan so that tells us he isn't injured.
The only thing holding up his ATP ranking are the points from last November's Houston Challenger – I'm guessing he's trying to earn whatever he can this year because if he can't defend those points from Houston he won't be able to get into any tournaments next year without a wildcard. Maybe we'll see him again next year if his pro ranking falls off.
Benitez and Smith shouldn't be allowed to play anymore this year. Half the season is over now, they had their chance to be members of the team.