Von Der Schulenburg Runner-Up in All-American Consolation Bracket

TULSA, Okla. –  Six members of the Virginia men’s tennis team competed at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s first national tournament of the year, the ITA Men’s All-American Championships, held Oct. 2-8 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Senior Jeffrey von der Schulenburg lost his opening main draw singles match but played his way to the finals of the consolation bracket. He was edged by Colton Smith of Arizona 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 in Sunday’s consolation final.

Senior Iñaki Montes and grad student James Hopper advanced to the semifinals of the main doubles draw, including defeating two top-10 opponents, before being eliminated on Saturday afternoon.

Montes and senior Chris Rodesch fell in the main draw’s singles quarterfinals on Friday afternoon.

Senior Alexander Kiefer and grad students Edoardo Graziani and Hopper played in the qualifying singles tournament but did not advance to the main draw.

Kiefer and von der Schulenburg began play in doubles qualifying, and earned a lucky loser spot in the main draw. Graziani and Rodesch also competed in the doubles main draw.

The tournament began on Sept. 30 with 256 players in a pre-qualifying singles draw with 16 advancing to qualifying. The 128 players in the qualifying draw were whittled down to 16 qualifiers who earned a spot in the field of 64 of the main draw. Doubles began with 64 qualifying tandems playing for eight spots in the main draw field of 32.

The University of Tulsa hosted the ITA Men’s All-American Championship for the 18th straight season. The tournament has taken place every year since 1979 except in 2020 when it was canceled due to COVID-19.

Some members of the team will compete next weekend at the ITA Atlantic Regional, being held Oct. 11-16 in Lynchburg, Va. The regional serves as a qualifying tournament for the ITA Fall National Championships, the finale to fall individual competitions which takes place Nov. 1-5 in San Diego, Calif.

Main Draw
Sunday, Oct. 8

• von der Schulenburg fell 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 against Arizona’s Colton Smith in the consolation final

Saturday, Oct. 7

• von der Schulenburg topped Alex Martinez of Oklahoma 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the consolation singles semifinal
• Montes and Hopper fell 6-1, 6-3 against Ohio State’s Robert Cash and JJ Tracy in the doubles semifinals

Friday, Oct. 6

• Montes and Hopper advanced to the doubles semifinals with a 6-3, 5-7, 10-7  win Andrew Zhang and Michael Heller of Duke, a 5-8 seed, in the quarterfinals
• von der Schulenburg topped 6-seed Alexander Bernard of Ohio State 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 in the consolation Round of 16 and then downed Mississippi State’s Petar Jovanovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to advance to the consolation semifinals
• Rodesch downed 9-16 seed Micah Braswell of Texas 6-7, 6-1, 6-4. before falling  6-3, 6-4 against Gavin Young of Michigan in the quarterfinals
• Montes topped Pedro Rodenas of Duke, a 9-16 seed, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 in the Round of 16 before being edged 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-4 by Michigan State’s Ozan Baris in the quarterfinals

Thursday, Oct. 5

• Rodesch topped Adam Neff of SMU 7-6, 6-4 in the Round of 32
• Montes downed Luciano Tacchi of Wake Forest 6-4, 6-2 to advance in singles
• Montes and Hopper topped No. 2 seed Max Sheldon and Ozan Baris of Michigan State 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 in the Round of 16
• von der Schulenburg advanced to the Round of 16 of the consolation bracket after his Thursday morning opponent withdrew

Wednesday, Oct. 4 

• Rodesch, the No. 2 seed, topped Tyler Stice of Auburn 6-3, 6-2
• Montes, the No. 5 seed, won 6-3, 6-2 against Natan Rodrigues of Louisville
• von der Schulenburg, a 9-16 seed, fell  6-2, 6-2 against Jack Pinnington of TCU
• Montes and Hopper topped Conor Gannon and Harry Rock of Memphis 6-4, 7-6 (2)
• Rodesch and Graziani were edged 6-3, 6-7 (3), 10-3 by Nino Ehrenschneider and Gavin Young of Michigan
• von der Schulenburg and Kiefer, who earned a lucky loser spot in the main draw, were edged 4-6, 6-2, 10-6 by Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez-Martinez of Mississippi State
• von der Schulenburg and Kiefer then withdrew from the consolation bracket
• Rodesch and Graziani then withdrew from the consolation bracket

QUALIFYING
Tuesday, Oct. 3

• Kiefer and von der Schulenburg fell 6-4, 6-2 against Harvard’s Daniel Milavsky and Cooper Williams in the qualifying final
• Kiefer dropped a consolation singles match against Timothy Seger of Tulsa 7-5, 6-3
• Graziani fell 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 against Lleyton Cronje of UCF in a singles consolation match
• Hopper fell 6-2, 6-2 against Robert Cash of Ohio State in a singles consolation match

Monday, Oct. 2

• Kiefer and von der Schulenburg topped Youcef Rihane and Jamie Connel of Florida State 7-6 (2), 6-3 to advance to the second round of doubles qualifying. They advanced to the qualifying final when Derrick Chen and Carl Overbeck of Cal retired from their match. The Bears were trailing 4-2 in the tiebreaker when they bowed out due to injury
• Hopper was edged 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5) by Arda Azkara of New Mexico. He will play a consolation singles match on Tuesday
• Kiefer was edged 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 by  Nate Bonetto of Florida. He will play a consolation singles match on Tuesday
• Graziani fell 6-2, 6-4 against Jay Friend of Arizona. He will play a consolation singles match on Tuesday

Singles competition

q #115 Arda Azkara (New Mexico) def. James Hopper (Virginia) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5)
c #71 Robert Cash (Ohio State) def. James Hopper (Virginia) 6-2, 6-2

q #86 Nate Bonetto (Florida) def. Alexander Kiefer (Virginia) 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5
c Timothy Seger (Tulsa) def. Alexander Kiefer (Virginia) 7-5, 6-3

q #87 Jay Friend (Arizona) def. #101 Edoardo Graziani (Virginia) 6-2, 6-4
c #124 Lleyton Cronje (Central Florida) def. #101 Edoardo Graziani (Virginia) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2

64 #2 Chris Rodesch (Virginia) def. #33 Tyler Stice (Auburn) 6-3, 6-2
32 #2 Chris Rodesch (Virginia) def. #39 Adam Neff (SMU) 7-6, 6-4
16 #2 Chris Rodesch (Virginia) def. #17 Micah Braswell (Texas) 6-7, 6-1, 6-4
qf #31 Gavin Young (Michigan) def. #2 Chris Rodesch (Virginia) 6-3, 6-4

64 #8 Inaki Montes (Virginia) def. #42 Natan Rodrigues (Louisville) 6-3, 6-2
32 #8 Inaki Montes (Virginia) def. Luciano Tacchi (Wake Forest) 6-4, 6-2
16 #8 Inaki Montes (Virginia) def. #18 Pedro Rodenas (Duke) 6-3, 6-7, 6-1
qf #25 Ozan Baris (Michigan State) def. #8 Inaki Montes (Virginia) 6-4, 6-7, 6-4

64 #26 Jack Pinnington (Texas Christian) def. #13 J vd Schulenburg (Virginia) 6-2, 6-2
32 w/o
c16 #13 J vd Schulenburg (Virginia) def. #10 Alexander Bernard (Ohio State) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6
cqf #13 J vd Schulenburg (Virginia) def. #68 Petar Jovanovic (Mississippi State) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
csf #13 J vd Schulenburg (Virginia) def. #49 Alex Martinez (Oklahoma) 4-6, 7-6, 6-4
cf #23 Colton Smith (Arizona) def. #13 J vd Schulenburg (Virginia) 1-6, 6-3, 7-5

Doubles competition

q #47 Alexander Kiefer/J vd Schulenburg (Virginia) def. Youcef Rihane/Jamie Conel (Florida State) 7-6 (0-2), 6-3
q #47 Alexander Kiefer/J vd Schulenburg (Virginia) vs. Derrick Chen/Carl Overbeck (Cal) no result
q #58 Daniel Milavsky/Cooper Williams (Harvard) def. #47 Alexander Kiefer/J vd Schulenburg (Virginia) 6-4, 6-2
32 Petar Jovanovic/B. Sanchez-Martinez (Mississippi State) def. #47 Alexander Kiefer/J vd Schulenburg (Virginia) 6-2, 6-2

32 #25 Nino Ehrenschneider/Gavin Young (Michigan) def. #21 Edoardo Graziani/Chris Rodesch (Virginia) 6-3, 6-7, 10-3

32 #31 Inaki Montes/James Hopper (Virginia) def. Conor Gannon/Harry Rock (Memphis) 6-4, 7-6
16 #31 Inaki Montes/James Hopper (Virginia) def. #2 Max Sheldon/Ozan Baris (Michigan State) 6-3, 3-6, 10-8
qf #31 Inaki Montes/James Hopper (Virginia) def. #10 Andrew Zhang/Michael Heller (Duke) 6-3, 5-7, 10-7
sf Alexander Bernard/Robert Cash (Ohio State) def. #31 Inaki Montes/James Hopper (Virginia) 6-1, 6-3