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No. 1 Virginia Opens Dual Match Season With a Pair of Victories

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.  –  The No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis team (2-0) opened the 2024 season with a pair of victories on Saturday (Jan. 13) at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.

The Cavaliers posted a 6-1 victory against Liberty before topping James Madison 7-0 in the second match of a doubleheader.

In the opener, grad transfers James Hopper and Edorado Graziani picked up a 6-1 win at the top doubles court before seniors Chris Rodesch and Jeffrey von der Schulenburg clinched the point on court two. Hopper and Graziani also opened the JMU match with a 6-1 win on the top doubles court, with sophomores Douglas Yaffa and Ty Switzer clinching the point with a win on three.

Freshman Dylan Dietrich began his career with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory against Liberty’s Thando Longwe-Smit on singles court two. Hopper also posted a 6-0, 6-0 win in the second match, blanking JMU’s Esteve Agusti on court three.

Graziani, who played No. 1 singles at Penn, returned to the top spot in the lineup in the second match, posting a 6-2, 6-1 win against Youssef Sadek that clinched the victory.

Switzer, who did not play last spring due to an injury, picked up his first career singles win in a dual match, topping JMU’s Aathreya Mahesh 6-3, 6-3 on court six.

Yaffa preserved the shutout against the Dukes with a 7-5, 2-6, 10-7 win against Markus Giersiepen on court five.

MATCH NOTES

  • The Cavaliers have won their last 24 dual matches

ON THE HORIZON

  • Virginia had two top-five showdowns next week
  • The Cavaliers travel to play at No. 3 Texas on Thursday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT) in a rematch of last year’s NCAA semifinal
  • On Sunday, Jan. 21, the Cavaliers host No. 5 South Carolina at 1 p.m. at the Boar’s Head Sports Club

#1 Virginia 6, Liberty 1
Singles competition

  1. #22 Chris Rodesch (VA) def. R Marques Da Silva (LU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
  2. Dylan Dietrich (VA) def. Thando Longwe-Smit (LU) 6-0, 6-0
  3. #26 J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. Deji Thomas-Smith (LU) 6-1, 6-3
  4. James Hopper (VA) def. Luis Felipe Miguel (LU) 6-2, 6-3
  5. Mans Dahlberg (VA) def. Matija Samardzic (LU) 6-4, 6-4
  6. R Santiago Arraez (LU) def. Douglas Yaffa (VA) 6-4, 1-6, 12-10

Doubles competition

  1. James Hopper/Edoardo Graziani (VA) def. Thando Longwe-Smit/R Marques Da Silva (LU) 6-1
  2. Chris Rodesch/J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. Deji Thomas-Smith/Chase Robinson (LU) 6-4
  3. Alexander Kiefer/Dylan Dietrich (VA) vs. Matija Samardzic/Luis Felipe Miguel (LU) 4-5, unfinished

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,3,4,1,5,6)
T-2:30 A-182

#1 Virginia 7, James Madison 0
Singles competition

  1. Edoardo Graziani (VA) def. Youssef Sadek (JMU) 6-2, 6-1
  2. Alexander Kiefer (VA) def. Julian Lozano (JMU) 6-3, 6-1
  3. James Hopper (VA) def. Esteve Agusti (JMU) 6-0, 6-0
  4. Mans Dahlberg (VA) def. Francisco Sinopoli (JMU) 6-2, 6-1
  5. Douglas Yaffa (VA) def. Markus Giersiepen (JMU) 7-5, 2-6, 10-7
  6. Ty Switzer (VA) def. Aathreya Mahesh (JMU) 6-3, 6-3

Doubles competition

  1. James Hopper/Edoardo Graziani (VA) def. Julian Lozano/Youssef Sadek (JMU) 6-1
  2. Chris Rodesch/Stefan Regalia (VA) vs. Esteve Agusti/Aathreya Mahesh (JMU) 5-2, unfinished
  3. Ty Switzer/Douglas Yaffa (VA) def. Markus Giersiepen/Francisco Sinopoli (JMU) 6-3

Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (3,4,1,2,6,5)
T-2:15 A-124

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