Men's Tennis Downs American 4-0
Story Links
May 14, 2004
Charlottesville, Va. – The sixth-seeded University of Virginia men’s tennis team opened NCAA Tournament play with a 4-0 first round win over American this afternoon at the Snyder Tennis Center. The win is the Cavaliers’ seventh in a row as they improve to 23-3 this season. The Eagles, winners of three consecutive Patriot League titles, conclude their season with a 13-9 overall record.
“I thought American University fought hard and did a good job. Our guys came out ready to play and I was very pleased with the overall performance with the team,” said Virginia head coach Brian Boland. “The important thing is that each guy was able to get some good tennis under (his) belt before we play tomorrow. We haven’t played a match in a month and we just needed to (be in) a competitive environment. I thought American’s a very good team and it was a good first round for us.”
Virginia got off to a quick start by capturing the doubles point. The #2 team of sophomores Darrin Cohen and Doug Stewart were first off following an 8-1 win over Guillame Tarralle and Juancarlo Vazquez. The Cavaliers’ #1 team of sophomores Nick Meythaler and Rylan Rizza won their seventh match in a row to close the point with an 8-5 victory over Tushar Garg and Andreas Kulscar.
Stewart, the nation’s ninth-ranked singles player, won the first singles match for Virginia with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Garg at #1. The win is Stewart’s sixth in a row. Rizza extended UVa’s lead to 3-0 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Jonah Fliegelman at #2.
Sophomore Nick Meythaler clinched the victory for the Cavaliers with his 6-1, 6-3 win over Ruben Rivero at #5.
The Cavaliers play Mississippi State in the second round Saturday at 1 pm at UVa’s Snyder Tennis Center. The event is open to the public.
Mississippi State captured a 4-2 win over Wake Forest in the second match on Friday afternoon.
“It was a tough match,” said MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard. “It could have gone either way. We have the same kind of team. We?re getting stronger down the stretch.”
Wake Forest won the doubles’ point as Brett Ross and Derrick Spice won at the No. 1 spot, 8-5. Todd Paul and Andrew Simpson won at No. 3, 8-5.
At No. 1 singles, MSU’s Romain Ambert defeated Spice, 6-0, 7-5. Jos?-Carlos Pinto disposed of Paul, 6-4, 7-6 at the No. 2 spot. At the No. 4, Ross captured the Demon Deacons’ only win in singles action, 6-2, 6-3. At No. 5, Florent Girod lost the first set before claiming the 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 win. In the decisive match at the No. 6 spot, Arnaud Roussel gave MSU the first round victory with a 6-4, 7-6 win.
“They’re home and they’re very talented,” Guichard said of facing Virginia next. “It’s going to be a tough outing. We’re going to try hard.”
The winner of the second round match will advance with the winner of the other 15 regionals to the NCAA Championships May 22-25 in Tulsa, Okla.
NCAA FIRST ROUND MEN’s TENNIS RESULTS
#10 Virginia 4, American 0
Singles
1-#9 Doug Stewart (UVa) def. Tushar Garg 6-2, 6-2
2- Rylan Rizza (UVa) def. Jonah Fliegelman 6-3, 6-1
3- Marko Miklo (UVa) vs. Guillame Tarralle DNF
4- Stephen Rozek (UVa) vs. Juancarlo Vazquez DNF
5- Nick Meythaler (UVa) vs. Ruben Rivero 6-1, 6-3
6- Darrin Cohen (UVa) vs. Andreas Kulscar DNF
Doubles
1-#21 Meythaler/Rizza (UVa) def. Garg/Kulscar 8-5
2-Cohen/Stewart (UVa) def. Tarralle/Vazquez 8-1
3-Miklo/Rozek (UVa) vs. Fliegelman/Rivero DNF
Mississippi State 4, Wake Forest 2
Singles
1- Romain Ambert (MSU) def. Derrick Spice 6-0, 7-5
2- Jos?-Carlos Pinto (MSU) def. Todd Paul 6-4, 7-6
3- Luiz Carvalho (MSU) vs. David Loewenthal DNF
4- Brett Ross (WF) def. Max Fomine 6-2, 6-3
5- Florent Girod (MSU) def. Andrew Hamar 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
6- Arnaud Roussel (MSU) def. Andrew Simpson 6-4, 7-6
Doubles
1- Ross/Spice (WF) def. Carvalho/Girod 8-5
2- Ambert/Fomine (MSU) vs. Hamar/Loewenthal DNF
3- Paul/Simpson (WF) def. Provenzano/Roussel 8-5