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Sept. 24, 2000
PIKESVILLE, Md. – Fourth-year University of Virginia men’s tennis player Brian Vahaly (Atlanta, Ga./The Lovett School) lost to Arkansas’ Oskar Johansson 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday (September 24) in the singles final of the T. Rowe Price National Intercollegiate Clay Court Championships. In addition, Vahaly and fourth-year Huntley Montgomery (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill) advanced to the finals of the doubles tournament, but lost to Florian Marquardt and Frank Moser of Virginia Commonwealth 7-5, 5-7, 6-3. The T. Rowe Price Clay Court Championships serve as the opening leg of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Grand Slam and were played at the Suburban Club of Baltimore County.
Vahaly, who was the top seed in the tournament, fell to fourth-seeded Johansson after winning the first set 7-5. Johansson then won 7-5, 6-2 in the second and third sets to clinch the victory. Vahaly had won 11 consecutive singles sets before dropping the last two sets in the finals. Vahaly, ranked third in the WingspanBank.com preseason rankings, advanced to Sunday morning’s final with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Tennessee’s Peter Handoyo in the semifinals on Saturday.
In the doubles tournament, third-seeded Vahaly and Montgomery lost the first set to Marquardt and Moser 7-5, but were able to even the match at one set apiece with a 7-5 victory in the second set. Vahaly and Montgomery were unable to pull out the win as they lost 6-3 in the third and deciding set. The 11th-ranked UVa duo advanced to the finals with a come-from-behind 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over Tulane’s Michael Kogan and Mikko Viljanen early Sunday afternoon.
Vahaly’s singles results from the T. Rowe Price National Intercollegiate Clay Court Championships
First Round def. Cesar Obieta (New Mexico St.) 6-3, 6-1Second Round def. Robert Kowalczyk (California) 6-1, 6-0Third Round def. Thomas Haug (Minnesota) 6-2, 6-1Quarterfinals def. David Martin (Stanford) 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7)Semifinals def. Peter Handoyo (Tennessee) 6-1, 6-4Finals lost to Oskar Johansson (Arkansas) 5-7, 7-5, 6-2
Vahaly and Montgomery’s doubles results from the T. Rowe Price National Intercollegiate Clay Court ChampionshipsFirst Round def. Tvrtko Kujundzic/Joachim Lien (Louisville) 3-6, 6-4, 6-0Second Round def. Robert Kowalczyk/Balazs Veress (California) 6-1, 6-0Quarterfinals def. Michael Kogan/Mikko Viljanen (Tulane) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5Finals lost to Florian Marquardt and Frank Moser (Virginia Commonwealth) 7-5, 5-7, 6-3