The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Tennessee
No. 5 Men’s Tennis edged by No. 10 Tennessee at ITA Indoors
02.14.2021 | Men's Tennis
The Longhorns fell, 4-2, to the Volunteers with an extremely close clinching match while leading in the remaining unfinished match on Sunday.
Champaign, Ill. – No. 5 Men's Tennis was edged by No. 10 Tennessee, 4-2, in their final match at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in the consolation bracket on Sunday in Champaign, Ill.
The Volunteers took the third set of the clinching match, 7-5, at No. 5 singles, while the Longhorns were leading the remaining match, 3-1, in the third set at No. 1 singles. Tennessee had won the doubles point and singles matches at No. 2 and No. 6, both of which featured first-set tiebreaker wins for the Volunteers, for a 3-0 lead.
However, Texas mounted a furious comeback for the second-straight day, including three-set singles wins by freshman No. 78 Micah Braswell at No. 3 and sophomore Cleeve Harper at No. 4. Sophomore No. 57 Siem Woldeab also made an incredible comeback of his own at No. 1 against No. 24 Adam Walton to recover from being down a set and 5-1 in the second to force a third set and post the 3-1 lead when play stopped. Woldeab won eight straight games and nine of the last 10 for a 4-6, 7-5, 3-1 score.
After Tennessee posted its lead, Harper got Texas on the board with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Giles Hussey. In the first set, Hussey took a 3-1 lead on the strength of back-to-back deuce point wins, which he then extended to 5-1 before closing at 6-2. The first three games of the second set stayed on serve starting with Harper when he picked up a break and then held on a deuce point for 4-1. The last four games then stayed on serve to give Harper the set. He captured a break in the third game of the final set for a 2-1 edge that he extended to 4-1 before finishing the set at 6-3 for the match.
Braswell was next with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win against Martim Prata. The first set featured five deuce points, four of which were won by Prata including three straight after Braswell had opened by winning the first two games. Prata extended his lead to 5-2 before Braswell pulled back within one with a deuce point break and then a hold, but Prata was able to secure one more deuce point to close the set. The first three games of the second set stayed on serve for a 2-1 lead to Braswell when he broke and held for 4-1. Prata answered with the next two games, but Braswell finished the frame with a break and a deuce-point hold for his win. After Prata won the first game of the third set on serve, Braswell put together a 5-0 run that Prata only snapped on a deuce point on serve in the next game, but Braswell responded with a deuce point of his own for the match, cutting the overall lead to 3-2.
At No. 5, junior Chih Chi Huang had made a big turnaround against Luca Wiedenmann. After falling in the first set, 6-1, Huang flipped the script and posted a 6-2 win in the second. That frame included a 4-0 run by Huang that set him up with a 5-1 lead. In the third, Wiedenmann picked up an early break on a deuce point for a 2-0 lead. Despite Huang answering it with a deuce point break of his own in the next game, Wiedenmann extended his lead to 4-1 and then 5-2 where he then led 15-40 in the next game. Huang fought off three match points to start on a 3-0 run to even it at 5-5. The next game also went to deuce, but Wiedenmann was able to win that point on serve and then break for the 7-5 win and the clinch.
In the already completed matches, sophomores Eliot Spizzirri and Evin McDonald both fell in first-set tiebreakers, leading to Spizzirri dropping his match, 7-6 (4), 6-4, to Johannus Monday at No. 2, and McDonald doing the same, 7-6 (4), 6-3, to Andrew Rogers at No. 6. Spizzirri had earned a break to go up 3-1 in his first set, but a deuce point win by Monday in the next game put it back on serve where it stayed to the tiebreaker. In that frame, Monday used a 3-0 run for a 5-2 lead. Spizzirri pulled back within 5-4, but Monday closed with the last two points. In the second set, Spizzirri broke and then held for a 3-1 lead that he pushed to 4-2, but Monday went on a 4-0 run that included two deuce points for the match.
McDonald's first set had no deuce points, but the players twice exchanged back-to-back breaks before the last four games stayed on serve leading to the tiebreaker. Rogers took that frame, 7-4, before winning the first two games of the second set and later a putting together 3-0 run for a 5-2 lead with the last on a deuce point. McDonald then held for 5-3, but Rogers also held for the win.
Earlier in doubles, Tennessee used a pair of 6-2 wins with Walton and Pat Harper over Spizzirri and Woldeab at No. 1, and Monday and Prata over Huang and senior Payton Holden at No. 2 to secure the point. The match at No. 3 with Braswell and Harper against Hussey and Mark Wallner was tied, 4-4, when play stopped.
The Longhorns return to the court for a pair of road matches against Rice (Feb. 20) and Tulane (Feb. 22).
#10 Tennessee 4, #5 Texas 2
Singles – Order of Finish (6,2,4,3,5)
1. #57 Siem Woldeab (UT) vs. #24 Adam Walton (TENN) 4-6, 7-5, 3-1, unf.
2. Johannus Monday (TENN) def. #120 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) 7-6 (4), 6-4
3. #78 Micah Braswell (UT) def. Martim Prata (TENN) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
4. Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Giles Hussey (TENN) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
5. Luca Wiedenmann (TENN) def. Chih Chi Huang (UT) 6-1, 2-6, 7-5
6. Andrew Rogers (TENN) def. Evin McDonald (UT) 7-6 (4), 6-3
Doubles – Order of Finish (2,1)
1. Pat Harper/Adam Walton (TENN) def. Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (UT) 6-2
2. Johannus Monday/Martim Prata (TENN) def. Payton Holden/Chih Chi Huang (UT) 6-2
3. Micah Braswell/Cleeve Harper (UT) vs. Giles Hussey/Mark Wallner (TENN) 4-4, unf.
Players Mentioned
