Typically when you double fault 15 times in a match your name ends up in the loss column but on Saturday in Waco the guy that had a tougher time on his serve came out on top. Recent Virginia graduate Ryan Shane and recent Illinois graduate Jared Hiltzik went toe-to-toe for just over two hours and when the dust cleared Shane had won his second career pro singles title with a come from behind three-set win. Hiltzik rolled through the first set in 30 minutes after breaking Shane’s 1-1 and 2-4 service games and then in the second set Hiltzik broke in a two-deuce game to take a 3-2 lead. Shane would immediately break back from 15/40 to even it at 3-3 but a few games later Hiltzik broke again to go up 6-5. Hiltzik would be unable to serve it out as Shane broke from 15/40 to send it a tiebreak.
Hiltzik jumped out to a 5-2* lead in the tiebreak but Shane won the next three to even it at 5-5. Hiltzik hit a service winner to go up 6-5 but Shane fought off a match point with a service winner of his own to even it at 6-6. Shane hit a forehand winner to go up 7-6, made a backhand error to even it at 7-7, then hit a forehand winner to go up 8-7. Shane closed out the tiebreak after ripping a forehand off the line that Hiltzik wasn’t able to get back in play and off to a third set they went.
The third set started off with five consecutive breaks which included Hiltzik getting broke on his 2-2 service game after leading 40/0. Shane snapped the streak by coming back from 0/30 down to hold for 4-2. After a love hold by Hiltzik, Shane fought off a break point, with a somewhat tricky backhand in front of the net which set up an overhead, to eventually hold for 5-3. Hiltzik came back from 0/40 down to hold for 4-5 but Shane served it out from 40/15 to win it 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-4.
Shane’s record in finals goes to 2-1 while Hiltzik’s drops to 0-3. Both guys will have new career high rankings (should be right around 550 for both) when these points are added in a week from now. Shane was defending 15 points from a finals appearance in Tallahassee while Hiltzik had nothing to defend so Hiltzik will actually gain more points than Shane (15 vs. 12).
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Team USA advanced to the finals of the Master’U BNP Paribas for the eighth consecutive year with a come from behind 5-2 win over Germany. UCLA freshman Ena Shibahara and Northwestern senior Strong Kirchheimer lost singles matches to start the day but Ohio State sophomore Francesca Di Lorenzo put Team USA on the board with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Julia Thiem (no relation to Dominic Thiem). Georgia Tech junior Chris Eubanks tied the match at 2-2 after coming back from 5-1 down in the third set tiebreak to defeat Demian Raab 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) – below is a video of the clincher from the USTA Player Development’s Twitter:
This was the scene after @chris_eubanks96 won his match 7-6 (5) in the 3rd to tie us up at 2-2 vs ?? #bestmatchever — @_hayleycarter_ pic.twitter.com/Iv6RXkh2n8
— USTA Player Dev. (@USTA_PD) December 3, 2016
Shibahara was able to rebound in doubles as she and North Carolina senior Hayley Carter rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 win and then Eubanks and Stanford junior Tom Fawcett clinched the team win with a 6-3, 2-6, 10-2 win.
That moment when you clinch your spot into the @masterubnpp finals!!!! #teamUSA ?? — @_hayleycarter_ pic.twitter.com/0oFqM7WHya
— USTA Player Dev. (@USTA_PD) December 3, 2016
Carter and Fawcett made the final score 5-2 by winning a mixed doubles match 8-1. Team USA will meet Russia on Sunday in the finals after Russia got past Great Britain 4-3.
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