Thai-Son Kwiatkowski Wins Pro Futures Doubles Title
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March 10, 2017
TOULOUSE, France – Virginia men’s tennis senior Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Charlotte, N.C.) won the doubles title on Friday (March 10) at the Toulouse $15,000 Pro Futures Tournament in Toulouse, France.
Kwiatkowski partnered with France’s Fabien Reboul, earning the No. 2 seed in the doubles draw. The duo downed Mats Moraing and Lofo Ramiaramanana 6-1, 6-4 in the opening round, Maxime Tabatruong and Tak Khunn Wang 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals and fourth-seeded Danylo Kalenichenko and Hugo Voljacques 7-6 (4), 0-6, 10-3 to advance to Friday final. In the final, they took the first set 6-3 over third-seeded Neils Desein and Yannick Jankovits. The second set finished in a 6-6 deadlock, but Kwiatkowski and Reboul took the tiebreaker 7-4 to earn the title.
This is the fourth professional Futures title of Kwiatkowski’s career after earning two pro doubles titles this summer at the Charlottesville and Winston-Salem Futures tournaments and winning a Futures singles title in December in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
Kwiatkowski also played in the singles main draw in Toulouse, downing qualifier Louis Chaix, 6-4, 6-4, in the first round of the main draw before upsetting No. 2 seed Gregoire Jacq 7-6 (5), 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals. Jacq is currently ranked No. 348 in the world. Kwiatkowski fell 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to fifth-seeded Mats Moraing in the quarterfinals.
Kwiatkowski was one of four Cavaliers competing at international Futures tournaments over Virginia’s spring break. Senior J.C. Aragone (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and juniors Henrik Wiersholm (Kirkland, Wash.) and Alexander Ritschard (Zurich, Switzerland) were in Canada, playing at the $25,000 Sherbrooke Futures Tournament. All three advanced through qualifying to earn spots in the singles main draw. Wiersholm won three matches in the qualifying tournament, downing Jordan Sweeney (6-1, 6-3), Quinton Vega (4-6, 6-4, 6-2) and Alejandro Tabilo (6-4, 6-1). Wiersholm then picked up a win in the opening round of the main draw, downing Takanyi Garanganga, 6-2, 6-3. Wiersholm fell to former UNC player Brayden Schnur 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-1 in the second round.
Aragone had a first-round bye in qualifying and then picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win over Nick Lagaev and a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Taha Baadi to earn a spot in the main draw. Aragone fell 6-4, 6-3 to second-seed Denis Shapovalov, ranked No. 250 in the world, in his main draw first-round match.
Ritschard also had a first-round bye in qualifying, picking up a win over Tim Kopinski (6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5) before going up on Farris Fathi Gosea 6-2, 1-0 before Gosea retired. Ritschard battled N o. 425 Maximilian Neuchrist in the first round, but was edged 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-5.
The No. 3 Virginia men’s tennis team will return to collegiate action on Saturday, March 18, when they head to Notre Dame to take on the Irish at 3:30 p.m.