The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Liberty
No. 6 Men’s Tennis advances to ITA Kickoff Championship Match
01.22.2021 | Men's Tennis
The Longhorns defeated Liberty 4-1 on Friday and will face No. 9 Florida on Saturday at the Texas Tennis Center.
Austin – The t-No. 6 Texas Men's Tennis team downed Liberty, 4-1, on Friday to win its opener of the ITA Kickoff Weekend and advance to the championship match against No. 9 Florida. The Longhorns will face the Gators on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT at the Texas Tennis Center.
After taking the doubles point earlier in the day, Texas used three straight-set singles wins by sophomores No. 120 Eliot Spizzirri and Cleeve Harper and freshman No. 78 Micah Braswell to secure the victory.
Spizzirri was the first off the court with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Josh Wilson at No. 2. The first set opened with the first four games staying on serve starting with Spizzirri. Wilson picked up a break and then held for a 4-2 edge, but it was all Spizzirri from there as he ran off nine straight games to take the set and establish a 5-0 lead in the second. Wilson got one game back, but Spizzirri served out the match and took the final game on a deuce point for a 2-0 Texas lead.
The Longhorns lone defeat of the day came next as Nicaise Muamba downed sophomore No. 57 Siem Woldeab, 6-4, 6-0, at No. 1 to cut the lead to 2-1. However, Braswell answered quickly by matching Spizzirri's 6-4, 6-1 score, taking his over Goncalo Ferreira at No. 3. After the two players held serve in the opening two games, Braswell put together a 4-0 run to get out to a 5-1 lead. Ferreira responded with a 3-0 run of his own, one of which came on a deuce point, to get back within 5-4, but Braswell was able to finish the frame in the next game. In the second set, Braswell captured the first two games before Ferreira took one on a deuce point, but from there Braswell closed on a 4-0 run to take the match and give Texas a 3-1 lead.
That left it to Harper to clinch, which he did with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Rafael Marques Da Silva at No. 4. Harper got out of the gate quickly with a 3-0 lead after breaking in the opening game on a deuce point. The next three games were all breaks, including the last one on a deuce point by Marques Da Silva to leave Harper up 4-2, but then the final four games all stayed on serve to give Harper the set. In the second, the first two games returned to breaks before Marques Da Silva held for a 2-1 edge, but Harper used another 3-0 run to go up 4-2, and just like the first set, the rest of the frame stayed on serve until the end, providing a 4-1 win for Texas
Two matches were left unfinished after the clinch, including junior Chih Chi Huang leading Christiaan Worst, 7-5, 4-2 at No. 5, and sophomore Evin McDonald up a set on Deji Thomas-Smtih, 7-6 (3), 2-4 at No. 6.
In doubles, Spizzirri and Woldeab were off the court first with a 6-4 win over Ferreira and Wilson at No. 1. The Longhorns opened with a break and a 2-0 before Liberty broke through on a deuce point. Spizzirri and Woldeab pushed out to a 3-1 lead, but Liberty went on a 3-0 run including a deuce point break to grab the lead. However, Texas answered with their own 3-0 run to finish it.
Braswell and Harper then clinched the point moments later with a 6-3 win over Muamba and Thando Longwe-Smit at No. 3. Texas jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a break in the second game and a deuce-point hold in the third. They extended that to 5-1, but Liberty was able to stay alive with a deuce point break followed by a hold. Braswell and Harper then closed it from there to win doubles and give the Longhorns a 1-0 lead.
Texas and No. 9 Florida will meet for the championship on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT at the Texas Tennis Center, which will also be for the right to advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Champaign, Ill., in February. The two teams opened match play against each other last season as No. 2 Texas traveled to Gainesville and downed No. 1 Florida, 5-2.
T-No. 6 Texas 4, Liberty 1
Singles – Order of Finish (2,1,3,4)
1. Nicaise Muamba (LIB) def. #57 Siem Woldeab (UT) 6-4, 6-0
2. #120 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. Josh Wilson (LIB) 6-4, 6-1
3. #78 Micah Braswell (UT) def. Goncalo Ferreira (LIB) 6-4, 6-1
4. Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Rafael Marques Da Silva (LIB) 6-4, 6-4
5. Chih Chi Huang (UT) vs. Christiaan Worst (LIB) 7-5, 4-2, unf.
6. Evin McDonald (UT) vs. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIB) 7-6 (7-3), 2-4, unf.
Doubles – Order of Finish (1,3)
1. Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (UT) def. Josh Wilson/Goncalo Ferreira (LIB) 6-4
2. Payton Holden/Chih Chi Huang (UT) vs. Christiaan Worst/Deji Thomas-Smith (LIB) 4-4, unf.
3. Micah Braswell/Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Nicaise Muamba/Thando Longwe-Smit (LIB) 6-3
Players Mentioned
