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NCAA Singles/Doubles Semifinals – McDonald Makes Singles & Doubles Final

by | May 30, 2016 | Blog | 0 comments

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It’ll be an All-American and All-ACC NCAA Women’s Singles Final as both of the top seeds, North Carolina’s Hayley Carter and Virginia’s Danielle Collins, pulled out victories in their semifinal matches.

Hayley Carter (Photo by Bill Kallenberg CapturedInAction.Com)

Carter looked like she was in serious trouble against Miami’s Sinead Lohan after falling behind 6-1, 5-3 but she was able to hang in there with a brief rain delay possibly giving her a chance to regroup. Carter held for 4-5 and then fought off a match point on the deciding point to break for 5-5. Carter held for 6-5 then broke again to take the set 7-5. There was a brief five-minute rain delay with Lohan serving at 4-3 in the second set then there was a one-hour rain delay in between the second and third sets.

Carter held on the deciding point to go up 1-0 in the third and then she broke to go ahead 2-0. Lohan broke back on the deciding point and then she held for 2-2. Carter would then win the final four games including a break of Lohan on the deciding point to clinch the 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 win. Below is match point which includes a diving Carter landing a volley to win it.

Virginia senior Danielle Collins advanced to her second NCAA Women’s Singles Final in the last three years with a straight set win over Pepperdine freshman Luisa Stefani. Collins opened up a 5-2 lead in the opening set but Stefani broke for 3-5, held for 4-5, and broke again to even it at 5-5. Collins would break back for 6-5 but Stefani broke as well to send the opening set to a tiebreak. Collins jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the tiebreak and then hung on to take it 9-7. Collins went ahead 5-1 in the second set but Stefani would break for 2-5, hold for 3-5, and then break again for 4-5. Collins would break Stefani on the deciding point with a forehand winner to take it 7-6(7), 6-4.

Women’s Semifinals

#1 [1] Hayley Carter (North Carolina) def. #8 [8] Sinead Lohan (Miami (FL) 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
#2 [2] Danielle Collins (Virginia) def. #6 [7] Luisa Stefani (Pepperdine) 7-6(7), 6-4
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The men’s final will be contested between Ohio State sophomore Mikael Torpegaard and UCLA junior Mackenzie McDonald.

Torpegaard got past TCU sophomore Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 in a match that was moved indoors midway through the opening set. When play was stopped due to lightning Norrie was serving 3-4, 0-30 and once play resumed indoors Torpegaard would break and then hold to take the opening set 6-3. Torpegaard broke Norrie to start the second set and then held on the deciding point to go up 2-0. Norrie evened it at 3-3 after breaking Torpegaard’s 3-2 service game on the deciding point and then Norrie held for 4-3. Torpegaard held for 4-4, broke Norrie on the deciding point for 5-4, and then served it out for the win.

UCLA junior Mackenzie McDonald punched his ticket to the finals with a close three set win over Virginia Tech senior Joao Monteiro. McDonald took the opening set 6-2 but then play was halted due to lightning/rain and moved indoors. Monteiro broke McDonald to go up 3-1 in the second and then held for 4-1 and would eventually take the set 6-3. Monteiro broke McDonald to start the third set but McDonald would get it back on serve after breaking Monteiro’s 2-1 service game. McDonald would break again to go up 4-2 after Monteiro double faulted at 40-30 and then pulled a forehand wide on the deciding point. McDonald came back from 0-30 down to hold for 5-2 and then he had a match point on the deciding point but he hit a forehand long to give Monteiro the hold for 3-5. McDonald would serve it out from 40-30 with match point below.

McDonald also advanced to the doubles final which means that he’s the first person to play in both the singles and doubles finals since Virginia’s Jarmere Jenkins did it in 2013. Jenkins won the doubles final with Mac Styslinger but came up short in the singles final against Ohio State’s Blaz Rola.

The last guy to win both the singles and doubles titles in the same year was Georgia’s Matias Boeker who did it in 2001 – also won the team championship too. The last person, male or female, to win them both was Stanford’s Nicole Gibbs who did it in 2012.

Men’s Semifinals
#1 [1] Mikael Torpegaard (Ohio St.) def. #5 [5] Cameron Norrie (TCU) 6-3, 6-4
#6 [6] Mackenzie McDonald (UCLA) def. #14 [9-16] Joao Monteiro (Virginia Tech) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
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It’ll be Cal versus Florida in tomorrow’s women’s doubles championship after Cal’s Maegan Manasse/Denise Starr and Florida’s Brooke Austin/Kourtney Keegan each won matches in third set supertiebreaks.

Manasse and Starr took out the No. 1 seed North Carolina’s Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay (North 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (7). Carter and Kay opened up an early 3-0 lead in the first set before Manasse and Starr held, broke, held, and broke to go up 4-3.  Manasse and Starr would hold on to the break lead and take the opening set 6-4. Carter and Kay opened up a 5-0 lead in the second set before Manasse and Starr won four straight to put it back on serve at 5-4. Carter and Kay broke back on the deciding point to take the set 6-4 and force a 10 point third set supertiebreak. The tiebreak was even at 6-6 before Manasse and Starr won four of the final five points to win it 10-7.

Florida’s Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan booked their spot in the finals with a 4-6, 6-3, 1-0(5) win over UCLA’s Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips. UCLA broke Keegan to go up 3-2 in the first set and broke Austin to go up 5-2 before Florida got one of the breaks back at 5-3. Keegan held for 4-5 before Harrison served it out to give UCLA the opening set 6-4. There was only one break of serve in the second set and it was Florida who broke the McPhillips serve for 5-3 and and then Keegan served it out for a 6-3 set. Austin and Keegan pulled away in the tiebreak by breaking a 4-4 tie and winning six of the last seven points to take it 10-5.


Women’s Doubles Semifinals

#4 [4] Maegan Manasse-Denise Starr (California) def. #2 [1] Hayley Carter-Whitney Kay (North Carolina) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (7)
#3 [3] Brooke Austin-Kourtney Keegan (Florida) def. #7 [5-8] Catherine Harrison-Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (5)
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The men’s doubles final will be between Texas A&M’s Arthur Rinderknech/Jackson Withrow and UCLA’s Mackenzie McDonald/Martin Redlicki.

Rinderknech and Withrow looked to be in control when they lead East Tennessee State’s David Biosca and Roger Ribeiro 6-2, 5-2 but the ETSU duo took the next five games to force a third set supertiebreak. It was tied 7-7 in the tiebreak but Texas A&M won the final three to win it 10-7.

UCLA’s Mackenzie McDonald and Martin Redlicki looked like they might get off the courts in straight sets but Notre Dame’s Quentin Monaghan and Alex Lawson broke to even it at 5-5 in the second. Monaghan and Lawson would take the second set in a tiebreak then they opened up a 7-4 lead in the third set supertiebreak. McDonald hit a forehand winner and then a service winner to cut the deficit to 7-6 but a Monaghan service winner made it 8-6. Monaghan double faulted to make it 8-7 and then Redlicki tied it at 8-8 with a forehand winner right down the middle of the court. Redlicki hit an ace to put the Bruins ahead 9-8 and then McDonald won it with a perfect lob. 

Men’s Doubles Semifinals
#8 Arthur Rinderknech-Jackson Withrow (Texas A&M) def. #63 David Biosca-Rogerio Ribeiro (ETSU) 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (7)
#2 [2] Mackenzie McDonald-Martin Redlicki (UCLA) def. #15 Alex Lawson-Quentin Monaghan (Notre Dame) 7-5, 6-7(5), 1-0 (8)

Both of the singles finals will be held at Noon central time with the women’s doubles final at 2 p.m. and the men’s doubles final at 4 p.m.

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