The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
No. 5 Men’s Tennis sweeps doubleheader with 5-0 win over TAMCC
02.06.2021 | Men's Tennis
The Longhorns downed the Islanders after earlier defeating UIW on Saturday.
Austin – No. 5 Men's Tennis swept its doubleheader with a 5-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after starting the day defeating University of The Incarnate Word, 6-1, on Saturday at the Texas Tennis Center.
Texas won its second doubles point of the day and followed it with singles wins by freshmen Leighton Allen at No. 6 and No. 78 Micah Braswell at No. 2, and sophomores No. 120 Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1 and Cleeve Harper at No. 3. For Allen, he earned a win in his first collegiate singles dual match.
Not only did Allen win, but after the Longhorns won doubles, he was first off the court in singles by posting a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Borja Delgado. He made especially efficient work of the first nine games, winning all but the fifth game of the first set to establish a 2-0 lead in the second. Delgado came back with the next two games, both on deuce points, before Allen ran off three more straight for a 5-2 lead. Delgado got one game back, again on a deuce point, but Allen closed on serve for the win and a 2-0 lead for Texas.
The next three matches all ended within minutes of each other with the last two almost simultaneously. It was Braswell who came off first with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Ryuya Ata. After each player won their serve beginning with Braswell to open the match, Braswell went on a 5-0 run to take the first set. Ata grabbed the first two games of the second with a hold and a break, but Braswell put the frame back on track with a break and a hold. The next two games stayed on serve, but the three after that were all breaks, including the last one on a deuce point to give Braswell a 5-4 lead. He held in the final game to take the match and give the Longhorns a 3-0 lead.
Spizzirri and Harper were then point-by-point for who would finish next with Spizzirri taking it by a nose, 6-3, 6-3, over Kyohei Yamanaka for the clinch. The first set was on serve up to a 3-2 lead for Spizzirri until he picked up a break and then held for 5-2. Yamanaka got one game back on a deuce point, but Spizzirri served out to take the set. In the second, the first four games were on serve, including the last two on deuce points, when Spizzirri broke for a 3-2 lead. That was the first of three straight breaks before Spizzirri held to go to 5-3 and broke again for the win and the clinch.
Seconds later and starting his last serve right as Spizzirri was closing, Harper completed his 6-4, 6-3 win over Nathan Schwartz. Much like Spizzirri's first set, Harper's was also on serve up to a 3-2 lead when he picked up a break on deuce point to make it 4-2. Schwartz then got a break and a hold to tie it, but Harper got a hold and a break after that to win it, 6-4. Three of the first four games in the second set were decided on deuce points with Harper winning all three for a 3-1 lead, which he expanded to 4-1 on serve. The last four games were all on serve, as well, leading to Harper's win and a 5-0 final for Texas.
The Longhorns were also leading the two remaining matches with juniors Chih Chi Huang and Nevin Arimilli. Huang was up 7-6 (3), 1-1 over Pascal Lorieul at No. 4, and Arimilli led 6-3, 1-6, 1-0 against Carlos Berna Ruiz at No. 5.
Earlier, Texas secured its second doubles point of the day. Once again Huang and Spizzirri paired up at No. 1, and once again they put together a strong performance, this time winning 6-1 over Ata and Yamanaka after winning 6-0 against UIW. The lone game the Longhorns dropped was the second one, which was on serve for TAMCC, before Huang and Spizzirri ran off five straight for the win, capping it with a deuce point.
Harper was once again part of the doubles clinching team, however in this match it was with Braswell, as they downed Schwartz and Chad Nguyen, 6-2. Harper and Braswell jumped out to a 3-0 lead that they held at 4-1 and 5-2 before picking up another break to win on a deuce point. The remaining match had sophomore Jacob Bullard and senior Payton Holden tied with Berna Ruiz and Lorieul, 4-4, when play stopped.
The Longhorns (7-1) now travel to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Champaign, Ill., where they will play three matches from Feb. 12-14.
#5 Texas 5, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Singles – Order of Finish (6,2,1,3)
1. #120 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. Kyohei Yamanaka (AMCC) 6-3, 6-3
2. #78 Micah Braswell (UT) def. Ryuya Ata (AMCC) 6-1, 6-4
3. Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Nathan Schwartz (AMCC) 6-4, 6-3
4. Chih Chi Huang (UT) vs. Pascal Lorieul (AMCC) 7-6 (3), 1-1, unf.
5. Nevin Arimilli (UT) vs. Carlos Berna Ruiz (AMCC) 6-3, 1-6, 1-0, unf,
6. Leighton Allen (UT) def. Borja Delgado (AMCC) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles – Order of Finish (1,3)
1. Chih Chi Huang/Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. Ryuya Ata/Kyohei Yamanaka (AMCC) 6-1
2. Jacob Bullard/Payton Holden (UT) vs. Carlos Berna Ruiz/Pascal Lorieul (AMCC) 4-4, unf.
3. Micah Braswell/Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Chad Nguyen/Nathan Schwartz (AMCC) 6-2
Players Mentioned
