Ryan Goetz is Singles Runner-Up at ITA Atlantic Regional
Singles Draw | Doubles Draw | Virginia Results ITA Regional
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Freshman Ryan Goetz (Greenlawn, N.Y.) was a finalist in singles at the ITA Atlantic Regional, which was held Thursday through Monday, Oct. 18-22, at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
Goetz began play in the tournament on Saturday. He had a walkover into the Round of 32, and then downed Jared Isaacs of Duquesne 6-1,6-2. On Sunday, he topped Inigo Torre Martin of VCU, 6-2, 6-3 in the Round of 16 and Old Dominion’s Francois Musitelli 6-2, 7-6 (2) in the quarterfinals. On Monday, he began the day with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Jason Kros of Virginia Tech to advance to the final. Goetz faced Aziz Kijamehovic of Old Dominion in the afternoon final, falling 6-3, 6-4.
As a finalist, Goetz earns a spot at next month’s Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, which will take place November 7-11, 2018, at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Surprise, Arizona. The Oracle ITA National Fall Championships features 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). In its second year, having replaced the ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, it is the lone event on the collegiate tennis calendar to feature competitors from all five divisions playing in the same tournament.
Seven other members of the Virginia men’s tennis team also competed at the ITA Atlantic Regional.
On Friday, sophomore Ammar Alhaqbani (Alexandria, Va.) advanced to the second round of singles with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Hanyu Liu of George Washington. Freshman William Woodall (Washington, D.C.), sophomores Matthew Lord (Bloomfield, Conn.) and Gianni Ross (Chicago, Ill.) and senior Aswin Lizen (Douglas, Isle of Man) all started singles play on Saturday as they were awarded first-round byes.
On Saturday, Ross picked up wins over Jackson Wood of Mount Saint Mary’s (6-4, 6-1) and Oliver Tobisch of Old Dominion (6-3, 7-6(5)) to advance. Lord prevailed in a pair of three-set matches, downing James Madison’s Pierre Kohler 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 and Liberty’s Ian Sturgill 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-3. Lizen cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Navy’s Peter Loherbach and a 6-2, 6-1 win over Ben Lieb of Penn State. Alhaqbani defeated Vince Salas of Liberty, 6-2, 6-2, but then fell 6-2, 6-2 to Torre Martin of VCU. Woodall dropped his Round of 64 match 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Damon Roberts of JMU.
On Sunday, Ross started the day with a 7-6 (0), 6-4 win over Nicaise Muamba of Liberty, but fell 7-6 (4), 6-3 to Kros in the quarterfinals. Lord was edged 7-5, 7-5 by Constant de la Bassetiere of Penn State in the Round of 16 while Lizen fell 6-4, 6-2 to Giesse. Lizen was the defending Atlantic Regional champion after having won the title last year at Liberty.
The Cavaliers had four doubles teams competing at the tournament. Both the team of Lizen and Woodall and Goetz and Ross picked up three wins to advance to Saturday’s doubles quarterfinals. Lizen and Woodall edged Longwood’s Farthing/Sakai, 8-5, Delaware’s Jones/Valdoleiros 8-4 and George Mason’s Ayers/Nielsen 8-3, but fell 8-1 to Old Dominion’s Kijamehovic/Musitelli, the draw’s No. 3 seed on Saturday, Ross and Goetz picked up victories over Georgetown’s Chen/Sharton (8-2), Richmond’s Walsh/Fernandez (8-1) and Longwood’s Blasco/Sergio (8-4), but fell to Galush and Lieb from Penn State 8-4 on Saturday.
Alhaqbani and Lord picked up two wins to advance to the Round of 16, downing Hampton’s Fernandes/Huson 8-4 and topping William & Mary’s Chen/Bautil in a tiebreaker 8-7(4), before falling 8-4 to Penn State’s De La Bassetiere/Nemeth. Sophomores Spencer Bozsik (Charlottesville, Va.) and Jerome Romualdez (Manila, Philippines) fell 8-1 to James Madison’s Mendoza/Steinour.
On Thursday, Bozsik competed in the singles qualifying tournament. Bozsik defeated Dennis Afanasev of George Washington, 6-4, 6-1, to advance to the qualifying final where he was edged 6-4, 7-5 by Michael Ruamthong of William and Mary.
ITA Atlantic Regional – Virginia Results
Singles competition
Qual Spencer Bozsik (Virginia) def. Dennis Afanasev (George Washington) 6-4, 6-1
QualFi Michael Ruamthong (William & Mary) def. Spencer Bozsik (Virginia) 6-4, 7-5
128 Ammar Alhaqbani (Virginia) def. Hanyu Liu (George Washington) 6-2, 6-0
64 Ammar Alhaqbani (Virginia) def. Vince Salas (Liberty) 6-2, 6-2
64 Damon Roberts (James Madison) def. William Woodall (Virginia) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
64 Matthew Lord (Virginia) def. Pierre Kohler (James Madison) 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
64 Aswin Lizen (Virginia) def. Peter Loherbach (Navy) 6-3, 6-2
32 Aswin Lizen (Virginia) def. Ben Lieb (Penn State) 6-2, 6-1
32 Matthew Lord (Virginia) def. Ian Sturgill (Liberty) 6-3, 6-7, 6-3
32 Ryan Goetz (Virginia) def. Jared Isaacs (Duquesne) 6-1, 6-2
32 Inigo Torre Martin (VCU) def. Ammar Alhaqbani (Virginia) 6-2, 6-2
32 Gianni Ross (Virginia) def. Oliver Tobisch (Old Dominion) 6-3, 7-6
16 Gianni Ross (Virginia) def. Nicaise Muamba (Liberty) 7-6, 6-4
16 Ryan Goetz (Virginia) def. Inigo Torre Martin (VCU) 6-2, 6-3
16 C De La Bassetiere (Penn State) def. Matthew Lord (Virginia) 7-5, 7-5
16 Jannik Giesse (Old Dominion) def. Aswin Lizen (Virginia) 6-2, 6-4
QF Ryan Goetz (Virginia) def. Francois Musitelli (Old Dominion) 6-2, 7-6
QF Jason Kros (Virginia Tech) def. Gianni Ross (Virginia) 7-6, 6-3
SF Ryan Goetz (Virginia) def. Jason Kros (Virginia Tech) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
F Aziz Kijamehovic (Old Dominion) def. Ryan Goetz (Virginia) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles competition
64 Aswin Lizen/William Woodall (Virginia) def. Julian Farthing/Raisei Sakai (Longwood) 8-5
64 Paul Mendoza/Tate Steinour (James Madison) def. Spencer Bozsik/Jerome Romualdez (Virginia) 8-1
64 Ryan Goetz/Gianni Ross (Virginia) def. Michael Chen/Charlie Sharton (Georgetown) 8-2
64 Ammar Alhaqbani/Matthew Lord (Virginia) def. Fernando Fernandes/Charles Hudson (Hampton) 8-4
32 Ammar Alhaqbani/Matthew Lord (Virginia) def. Ruo Chen/Tristan Bautil (William & Mary) 8-7
32 Gianni Ross/Ryan Goetz (Virginia) def. John Walsh/Matthew Fernandez (Richmond) 8-1
32 Aswin Lizen/William Woodall (Virginia) def. Justice Jones/G Valdoleiros (Delaware) 8-4
16 Aswin Lizen/William Woodall (Virginia) def. Eddie Ayers/Jakob Nielsen (George Mason) 8-3
16 Gianni Ross/Ryan Goetz (Virginia) def. Amadeo Blasco/Guilherme Sergio (Longwood) 8-4
16 C De La Bassetiere/Gabriel Nemeth (Penn State) def. Ammar Alhaqbani/Matthew Lord (Virginia) 8-4
QF Matt Galush/Ben Lieb (Penn State) def. Ryan Goetz/Gianni Ross (Virginia) 8-4
QF Aziz Kijamehovic/Francois Musitelli (Old Dominion) def. Aswin Lizen/William Woodall (Virginia) 8-1