Aswin Lizen Wins ITA Atlantic Regional Singles Title
Oct. 24, 2017
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Virginia men’s tennis player junior Aswin Lizen (Douglas, Isle of Man) won the singles title at the ITA Atlantic Regional championships on Tuesday (Oct. 24) at the Cook Tennis Center and Hershey-Esbenshade Tennis Courts at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.
Lizen won a pair of matches on the final day of the tournament, downing Penn State’s Christos Antonopolous 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals in the morning and defeating Virginia Tech’s Alexandre Ribeiro 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in the afternoon final to secure the title.
With the victory, Lizen automatically earns a spot at the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships which will be held November 1-5, 2017, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The event, which serves as the conclusion of the fall collegiate tennis season, will include 128 of the nation’s top collegiate singles players (64 men and 64 women) and 64 doubles teams (32 men’s teams and 32 women’s teams). The event replaces the ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships.
Lizen also finished as the runner-up in the doubles tournament, which concluded on Monday. Lizen and partner freshman Matthew Lord (Bloomfield, Conn.) went 5-1 in doubles, falling in the final to a tandem from Old Dominion.
This is the ninth time a Virginia player has won the singles title at an ITA Regional. Lizen joins J.C. Aragone, who won the title last year, as well as Huntley Montgomery (2000), Dominic Inglot (2007-08), Jarmere Jenkins (2009-10), Harrison Richmond (2012) and Ryan Shane (2014).
Lizen, the No. 7 seed in the tournament, had a first-round bye before picking up victories over Penn State’s Gabriel Nemeth (6-3, 6-0), Virginia Tech’s Feliksas Sakalauskas (6-3, 6-4), Duquesne’s Adam Blasinsky (4-6, 6-2, 6-0) and Longwood’s Amadeo Balsco (6-3, 6-4) to reach Tuesday’s final rounds.
The Cavaliers had four players competing in singles at the ITA Atlantic Regional. Redshirt freshman Ammar Alhaqbani (Alexandria, Va.) advanced to the Round of 32 with a 6-3, 7-6 victory over Virginia Tech’s George Cartledge before falling in the Round of 16 to Chase Burton of Liberty. Freshman Jefferson Dockter (Atlanta, Ga.) advanced through qualifying to earn a spot in the main draw and then won his Round of 128 match 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Liberty’s Diego Castano before falling to Temple’s Juan Araoz on Saturday in the Round of 64. Lord fell 6-3, 7-6 (0) to George Mason’s Edward Ayers in the Round of 64.
Virginia’s ITA Atlantic Regional Singles Results
R64 Ammar Alhaqbani (Virginia) def. George Cartledge (Virginia Tech) 6-3, 7-6 (0-5)
R32 Chase Burton (Liberty) def. Ammar Alhaqbani (Virginia) 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
R128 Jefferson Dockter (Virginia) def. Diego Castano (Liberty) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
R64 Juan Araoz (Temple) def. Jefferson Dockter (Virginia) 6-3, 6-2
R64 Edward Ayers (George Mason) def. Matthew Lord (Virginia) 6-3, 7-6
R64 Aswin Lizen (Virginia) def. Gabriel Nemeth (Penn State) 6-3, 6-0
R32 Aswin Lizen (Virginia) def. Feliksas Sakalauskas (Virginia Tech) 6-3, 6-4
R16 Aswin Lizen (Virginia) def. Adam Blasinsky (Duquesne) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
QF Aswin Lizen (Virginia) def. Amadeo Blasco (Longwood) 6-3, 6-4
SF Aswin Lizen (Virginia) def. C Antonopolous (Penn State) 6-3, 6-1
F Aswin Lizen (Virginia) def. Alexandre Ribeiro (Virginia Tech) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2