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Weather Wipes out Saturday Schedule in Seattle (& Part of LA); Cal Bears Down Against USC; UNC Edges Illinois; Miss State Stays up Late to Beat Tulane

by | Feb 10, 2019 | Blog | 0 comments

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Tennis was played in many parts of the country on Saturday but one place where it wasn’t was in Seattle. Almost a foot of snow closed down the University of Washington and made the roads unsafe so the second day of the Women’s National Team Indoors was called off. As it stands right now a full schedule will be played on Sunday with the main draw quarterfinal matches to be played at 10 am and 1 pm pacific time while the consolation matches are scheduled for 4 pm and 7 pm pacific time. The semifinals will be played on Monday with a Tuesday final though I’m not sure if they’ll be another round of consolation matches played on Monday. Check out Slam.Tennis for the full schedule along with any changes that are made throughout the day. 

While snow knocked out play in Seattle it was rain that did in the highly anticipated top 10 men’s clash in Los Angeles between No. 7 UCLA and No. 10 Stanford. However just 12 miles away at USC there was no rain and No. 5 USC and Cal were able to play a full four plus hour classic that saw Cal come back from 1-3 down to stun USC 4-3. It was the second day in a row the Trojans led a match at home 3-1 only to see the lead disappear in heartbreaking fashion. 

Cal jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after claiming the doubles point with a 6-3 win at No. 3 and a 7-6(5) win at No. 2. Each team claimed three opening sets in singles with USC closing out each of its leads with straight set wins from Brandon Holt, Daniel Cukierman, and Jake Sands at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5. USC also took the second set on each of the courts where they dropped the first but unlike on Friday against UCLA when Cal couldn’t overcome the tide Saturday would be a different story. Cal sophomore Ben Draper cut the deficit to 3-2 after a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win at No. 6 and freshman Yuta Kikuchi evened it at 3-3 with a 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4 win at No. 3. For the second day in a row Cal sophomore Jack Molloy would be involved in a match clincher. Against UCLA, Malloy came up short falling 6-4 in the third to Govind Nanda but on Saturday it was Malloy pulling it out with a 7-6(3), 6-7(6), 6-3 win at No. 4. 

“We’ve been improving with every match,” said Cal Director of Men’s Tennis Peter Wright, “and even though we knew we had some close losses, we’ve been steadfast in our resolve that if we stick to our process that the results will follow. Today was truly a gutsy effort that started in doubles and carried through to singles.

“Ben, Yuta and Jack handled the pressure extremely well down the stretch. Winning in three sets in a hostile environment truly reflects the grit and determination of our team. It’s great to see this team coming together and believing in themselves and believing in each other. Today’s effort was all about team.”

USC won’t have much time to mentally refocus because the Trojans head to Columbus for a Tuesday night match against No. 2 Ohio State and then after that they head up the road to Chicago to face 15 of the best teams in the country at the National Team Indoor Championships. Cal next heads to Stockton next Saturday for a doubleheader against UNLV and host Pacific. 

Cal 4, #5 USC 3
Feb. 9, 2019, in Los Angeles (Marks Tennis Stadium)
Doubles Results
(1) Holt/R. Smith (USC) def. #8 Brumm/Kikuchi (Cal) – 6-4
(2) #17 Baretto/Kaya (Cal) def. Jaede/Verboven (USC) – 7-6(5)*
(3) Molloy/Zincirli (Cal) def. #21 Cukierman/T. Smith – 6-3
Singles Results
(1) #56 Brandon Holt (USC) def. Jacob Brumm (Cal) – 6-1, 6-3
(2) #4 Daniel Cukierman (USC) def. Paul Barretto (Cal) – 6-2, 6-3
(3) Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) def. Jack Jaede (USC) – 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4
(4) Jack Molloy (Cal) def. Riley Smith (USC) – 7-6(3), 6-7(6), 6-3^
(5) Jake Sands (USC) def. Bjorn Hoffman (Cal) – 6-3, 6-2
(6) Ben Draper (Cal) def. #50 Tanner Smith (USC) – 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
Match Notes
Cal 2-3
USC 5-2; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,1,2,6,3,4^)

 

 

North Carolina went on the road a week ago and couldn’t get it done against Texas but on Saturday the Tar Heels flipped the script and picked up a big 4-3 road win over No. 14 Illinois 4-3. UNC took what turned out to be a pivotal doubles point with a 6-2 win at No. 2 and a 6-3 win at No. 3 and then the Heels added four opening sets in singles. The bottom four singles matches all finished in straight sets with Illinois picking up wins from Keenan Mayo and Caleb Chakravarthi at No. 4 and No. 5 to go in front 2-1 before UNC answered at No. 3 and No. 6 with wins from Josh Peck and Blaine Boyden. 

Illini junior Aleks Kovacevic tied the match at 3-3 with a big 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over William Blumberg but UNC sophomore Benjamin Sigouin clinched the match after breaking Alex Brown from 15/40 to win 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 win at No. 2

“Tough, tough loss,” said head coach Brad Dancer. “The guys obviously gave everything they had and that is all you ever ask for. Our crowd is awesome, and they make it such an experience to play at Atkins.”

UNC will be off until next weekend’s National Team Indoors while Illinois will head to Chicago on Wednesday night to play No. 7 UCLA. 

#8 North Carolina 4, #14 Illinois 3
Feb 09, 2019 at Urbana, Ill. (Atkins Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #24 Aleks Kovacevic (UI) def. #52 William Blumberg (UNC) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
2. Benjamin Sigouin (UNC) def. #23 Alex Brown (UI) 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4
3. #36 Josh Peck (UNC) def. #30 Zeke Clark (UI) 6-3, 6-4
4. #125 Keenan Mayo (UI) def. #77 Brian Cernoch (UNC) 6-4, 6-2
5. #116 Caleb Chakravarthi (UI) def. Simon Soendergaard (UNC) 6-3, 6-3
6. Blaine Boyden (UNC) def. Siphosothando Montsi (UI) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. Alex Brown/Caleb Chakravarthi (UI) vs. Brian Cernoch/Benjamin Sigouin (UNC) 4-4, unfinished
2. Blaine Boyden/William Blumberg (UNC) def. Keenan Mayo/Aleks Kovacevic (UI) 6-2
3. Mac Kiger/Ladd Harrison (UNC) def. Vuk Budic/Zeke Clark (UI) 6-3
Match Notes:
North Carolina 5-1; National ranking #8
Illinois 3-1; National ranking #14
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,5,3,6,1,2)

 

Third-ranked Mississippi State and No. 19 Tulane played deep into the night in Lubbock with State coming out on top 4-1. The Bulldogs won their 17th straight doubles point after a 6-4 win at No. 2 and a 7-6(1) win at No. 3 and then the teams split opening sets at the four-court indoor facility. State upped the lead to 3-0 after straight set wins from Nuno Borges and Giovanni Oradini but Tulane would get on the board with a 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 win from Hamish Stewart at No. 3. The matches at No. 5 and No. 6, which couldn’t go on until the first two matches finished, were well underway and Tulane’s Tyler Schick was a game away from winning at No. 5 but MSU senior Niclas Braun would close the door on the Green Wave with a 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 4.

“Great effort from our boys tonight,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “Tulane always gives us everything we can handle. I was most impressed by how we stayed together when the pressure was at its highest. We will learn from these indoor matches and continue to improve. Now, it’s on to Chicago for National Indoors. Hail State!”

Mississippi State heads to Chicago for the National Team Indoors while Tulane will stay in Lubbock for one more day to play Texas Tech before they head to Chicago as well. 

#3 Mississippi State 4, #19 Tulane 1
February 9, 2019 at Lubbock, Tx The Falls Tennis and Athletic Club)
Doubles (Order of finish: 2,3)
1. #34 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) vs. Akos Kotorman/Ewan Moore (TU) 6-6 (0-3) (susp.)
2. #6 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Tim Ruetzel/Hamish Stewart (TU) 6-4
3. Trevor Foshey/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) def. Luis Erlenbusch/Tyler Schick (TU) 7-6(1)
Singles (Order of finish: 1,2,3,4)
1. #5 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #63 Ewan Moore (TU) 6-3, 6-4
2. #66 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. #42 Luis Erlenbusch (TU) 7-5, 6-4
3. Hamish Stewart (TU) def. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 7-6(8), 4-6, 6-2
4. #64 Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Dane Esses (TU) 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2
5. #78 Tyler Schick (TU) vs. #98 Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-1, 5-2 (susp.)
6. Florian Broska (MSU) vs. Akos Kotorman (TU) 4-4 (susp.)

 

South Carolina, which was ranked No. 25 to start the season before a loss to USC in Australia knocked them out, went on the road and defeated last week’s No. 25 and this week’s No. 21 NC State 6-1. The Gamecocks took the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 and then added straight set wins from Paul Jubb, Daniel Rodrigues, and Thomas Brown at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 6 with Brown clinching the win. The remaining matches were played out with all going to a third set – Carolina won at No. 4 and No. 5 while Yannai Barkai gave NCST its lone point at No. 3.

“NC State is not an easy place to play,” emphasized Head Coach Josh Goffi. “They’re well coached and a really solid team.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve won here but the boys earned the win today. From the start, the entire team was engaged and came ready to get into a battle. It was awesome to see this young group get after it the way they did.”

“Today was a good chance for us to go out and continue to build and get better,” said head coach Kyle Spencer. “The guys were really focused and were able to handle the challenges of today well. We have a lot of guys that are very professional in how they handle these matches, and they value the matches they get to play because practice is so tough and competitive. I was excited for the guys to get another opportunity to be together as a team and be able to compete, and I thought we did a great job today.”

South Carolina 6, #21 NC State 1
Feb 09, 2019 at Raleigh, N.C. (J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #16 Paul Jubb (SC) def. #45 Alexis Galarneau (ST) 6-4, 7-5
2. #110 Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. Tadas Babelis (ST) 6-2, 6-3
3. Yannai Barkai (ST) def. Yancy Dennis (SC) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-6)
4. #114 Raphael Lambling (SC) def. Robert Turzak (ST) 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6)
5. Joseph Brailovsky (SC) def. Georgiy Malyshev (ST) 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6)
6. Thomas Brown (SC) def. Ivan Saveljic (ST) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Michael Ogden/Alexis Galarneau (ST) vs. Daniel Rodrigues/Raphael Lambling (SC) 5-4, unfinished
2. Paul Jubb/Joseph Brailovsky (SC) def. Tadas Babelis/Georgiy Malyshev (ST) 6-4
3. Yancy Dennis/Jake Beasley (SC) def. Ivan Saveljic/Collin Shick (ST) 6-2
Match Notes:
South Carolina 6-1
NC State 5-2; National ranking #21
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,1,6,3,5,4)
T-2:40 A-158

 

Oklahoma State improved to 6-3 with a hard fought 4-2 road win over Wisconsin. The Badgers struck first with doubles wins at No. 1 and No. 3 and added a fairly quick win at No. 1  singles from Osgar O’Hoisin after OSU’s Matej Vocel retired down 4-6, 0-2. OSU got on the board with a straight set win from Brady Draheim at No. 5 while all the other matches would go the distance. OSU’s Mathieu Scaglia came back from a break down in the third to win 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 at No. 2, Emile Hudd won 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 at No. 6, and Luke Hammond would provided the clincher with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) win at No. 4 with the match at No. 3 going unfinished with Wisconson’s Chase Colton leading 5-4 in the third. 

Head coach Danny Westerman
“We fought with every ounce of energy they had. Great crowd best one of the year so far. It’s early so hopefully we will get more of these crowds as the year progresses.

We’re going to remember this one and put it in our back pocket. We’re going to learn a lot from this. We learned a lot about ourselves today. We’re right up there with the best in the country and that will be the takeaway.”

Oklahoma State 4, Wisconsin 2
Feb. 7, 2019 | Nielsen Tennis Stadium | Madison, Wis.
Doubles (Order of finish: 1,3)
1. Osgar O’Hoisin/Jared Pratt (UW) def. Matej Vocel/Maxim Tybar (OSU), 6-2
2. Emile Hudd/Luke Hammond (OSU) vs. Soha/Freimuth (UW) 4-4
3. Robert Krill and Chase Colton (UW) def. Brady Draheim/Mathieu Scaglia (OSU) 6-2
Singles (Order of Finish: 1, 5, 2, 4, 6)
1. Osgar O’Hoisin (UW) def. Matej Vocel (OSU), 6-4, 2-0 (retired)
2. Mathieu Scaglia (OSU) def. Jesper Freimuth (UW), 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
3. Maxim Tybar (OSU) vs. Chase Colton (UW) 7-5, 4-6, 4-5 unfinished
4. Luke Hammond def. Jared Pratt (UW), 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5)
5. Brady Draheim (OSU) def. Lenard Soha (UW), 6-4, 6-4
6. Emile Hudd (OSU) def. Robert Krill (UW) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3

 

Miami won a top 25 showdown over No. 20 Texas Tech 4-0 in a match that was delayed over five hours due to rain. The Canes won a close doubles point and then added straight set wins from Estela Perez-Somarriba and Ulyana Shirokova at No. 1 and No. 3 with Lucia Marzal clinching at No. 4 with a 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 win. 

“Overall, we were very happy with the way the girls came out of the rain delay,” associate head coach Laura Vallverdu said. “We thought that the team was having a slow start in singles. Especially with [freshman] Carla Girbau and [senior] Ana [Madcur] in the back, at five and six, turning that around and winning those second sets was big for us. They made a step forward today, for sure, in terms of toughness.”

“How Stela was able to dominate, truly, a top-30 girl in the country right now, kind of early in the season, winning that in 6-3, 6-3 fashion, was special,” Vallverdu said. “We have been talking to her about this, about completing matches a little bit more solid, like that, and dominant. We are trying to do that as a team. We are trying to connect and close sets, not faster, but look a little bit more solid in the actual score. But it was a long day. They have been here since 8 o’clock this morning just thinking about this match. So, we are just happy.”

“We are looking to just get tougher. We are a younger team, but they are starting to understand the culture, they’re understanding what it takes to win big matches and we have a focus on a bigger picture, which is other competition in the country,” Vallverdu said. “They are hungry and I believe that they are excited for ACC’s. They want to head up to Tallahassee, [Fla.], and make a statement.”

#17 Miami 4, #20 Texas Tech 0
2/9/2019 at Coral Gables, Fla. (Neil Schiff Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #4 E. Perez-Somarriba (UM) def. #30 Felicity Maltby (TTU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Daevenia Achong (UM) vs. Nell Miller (TTU) 3-6, 6-2, 4-3, unfinished
3. Ulyana Shirokova (UM) def. Francesca Sella (TTU) 6-0, 7-5
4. Lucia Marzal (UM) def. Anto Stoica (TTU) 0-6, 6-4, 6-3
5. Carla Girbau (UM) vs. Kennedy Bridgforth (TTU) 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 2-0, unfinished
6. Ana Madcur (UM) vs. Lana Rush (TTU) 5-7, 6-3, 2-0, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. E. Perez-Somarriba/Ulyana Shirokova (UM) def. #40 Felicity Maltby/Nell Miller (TTU) 7-6 (7-0)
2. Daevenia Achong/Daniella Roldan (UM) vs. #32 Kennedy Bridgforth/Lana Rush (TTU) 6-6 (2-4), unfinished
3. Ana Madcur/Lucia Marzal (UM) def. Francesca Sella/Anto Stoica (TTU) 6-4
Match Notes:
Texas Tech 3-3; National ranking #20
Miami 6-1; National ranking #17
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (3,1,4)
Start time pushed back from 1 p.m. due to weather.
Match delayed twice for total of approximately 5:15 hours due to weather

 

Other Results:

  • (M) #17 Tennessee def. Duke 4-0 – Rain forced play indoors (which meant the Tennis Channel broadcast was scrapped) and singles was played first. Vols picked up straight set wins from Adam Walton and Preston Touliatos while Martim Prata and Luca Wiedenmann won in three sets – other two matches were deep in the third with Vols about to win at No. 3
  • (M) #18 Oklahoma def. Cornell 4-2 – Sooners dropped the doubles point before picking up four straight set wins in singles (Spencer Papa played dubs but not singles)
  • (W) Oklahoma def. Arizona State 4-2 – Sooners took the doubles point and added singles wins at 2, 3, and 4
  • (M) Northwestern def. Harvard 4-3 – Wildcats led 4-0 before Harvard won the final three matches with 10 point tiebreaks being played in lieu of third sets
  • (M) Oregon def. Louisville 6-1 – Ducks top player Thomas Laurent only dropped three games in his win at No. 1
  • (M) Penn def. VCU 4-3 – Quaker freshman Edoardo Graziani won the decider at No. 2 singles 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
  • (W) Yale def. Harvard 4-3 – Bulldogs came back from 3-1 down with Samantha Martinelli and Kathy Wang winning the final two matches 7-6(4) and 7-6(2) in the third 
  • (W) SMU def. USC 4-3 – Mustang senior Liza Buss won the deciding match at No. 1 singles over ITA No. 20 Salma Ewing 6-3, 7-6(3)
  • (W) Weber State def. Youngstown State 4-3 (@UNLV) – Wildcats came back from 3-2 down to win the final two matches in three sets 
  • (W) Youngstown State def. UTEP 4-3 (@UNLV)- Penguins came back from 3-0 down with the final three matches going three sets 
  • (W) Princeton and Columbia will play in the final of the ECAC Indoor Championships after the Tigers defeated Cornell 5-0 and Brown 4-1 while the Lions edged Yale and Penn 4-2. 

 

***All quotes are from the respective school’s recaps 

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