No. 10 Virginia Edged 4-3 in ACC Opener at Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 10 Virginia men’s tennis team (2-1, 0-1 ACC) opened up Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 4-3 loss at Louisville (3-0, 1-0 ACC) on Saturday (Jan. 18) in Louisville, Ky.
The Cavaliers won the doubles points on a pair of 6-3 wins on courts two and three. UVA took a 2-0 lead after a win on court five by freshman Christian Alshon (Boca Raton, Fla.), but Louisville came back with back-to-back wins on courts three and two. The Cardinals took a 3-2 lead in the match after picking up a win on court six, but sophomore William Woodall (Washington, D.C.) rallied for a victory on court three to tie the match at three. Court one was on-serve, 5-4, in the third set when junior Gianni Ross (Chicago, Ill.) was broken by No. 42 Tin Chen to secure the win for the Cardinals.
FROM HEAD ANDRES PEDROSO
“I’m proud of our team. They showed resilience across the board. Even though we didn’t get the win today, character efforts such as this one will lead to better times in the future. Our teamed gained a lot of experience today.”
MATCH NOTES
- Christian Alshon defeated Daniel Fainblum 6-2, 6-4, improving to 3-0 in singles this spring. All three of his wins have been in straight sets
- William Woodall dropped his first set 6-2, before winning his second two sets, 7-5, 6-2
- Gianni Ross and William Woodall clinched the doubles point with a win on court two over Matthew Fung/Tin Chen
ON THE HORIZON
- The Cavaliers are back at the Boar’s Head next Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 25-26), hosting ITA Kickoff Weekend matches when Memphis, NC State, Utah State and Virginia will be vying for an invitation to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. Matches are at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. both days
- Virginia will take on Memphis in the 1 p.m. match on Saturday and then either NC State or Utah State on Sunday
BOX SCORE
Louisville Men’s Tennis 4, #10 Virginia 3
Singles competition
1. #42 Tin Chen (LOU-MT) def. #68 Gianni Ross (VA) 7-6, 3-6, 6-4
2. Sergio Hernandez (LOU-MT) def. #115 Ryan Goetz (VA) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Fabien Salle (LOU-MT) def. Matthew Lord (VA) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
4. William Woodall (VA) def. David Mizrahi (LOU-MT) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
5. Christian Alshon (VA) def. Daniel Fainblum (LOU-MT) 6-2, 6-4
6. Matthew Fung (LOU-MT) def. RJ Fresen (VA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Sergio Hernandez/Fabien Salle (LOU-MT) vs. Matthew Lord/Ryan Goetz (VA) 4-5, unfinished
2. #53 Gianni Ross/William Woodall (VA) def. Matthew Fung/Tin Chen (LOU-MT) 6-3
3. Christian Alshon/Ammar Alhaqbani (VA) def. Alex Wesbrooks/Daniel Fainblum (LOU-MT) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,3,2,6,4,1)
T-2:49 A-189