The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Spizzirri comes up just short in second round of U.S. Open Qualifying
08.26.2021 | Men's Tennis
Men’s Tennis sophomore Eliot Spizzirri fell in three sets to ATP No. 130 Henri Laaksonen on Thursday.
New York – Men's Tennis sophomore Eliot Spizzirri came up just short in the second round of U.S. Open Qualifying, falling to ATP No. 130 Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4, on Thursday.
The opening set between Spizzirri and Laaksonen, who was the 14 seed in qualifying, stayed on serve throughout with the exception of Spizzirri picking up the lone break for a 5-3 lead before he served out for the win.
The beginning of the second set was just the opposite with the players combining for breaks in four of the first five games starting with Spizzirri. The only hold of that stretch came in the third game, which Laaksonen won after going to deuce for a 2-1 lead that he extended to 3-1 with another break. However, Spizzirri answered the break to get back on serve and then held to even it at 3-3.
The next six games all stayed on serve despite Spizzirri's following service game reaching deuce four times before he prevailed to make it 4-4. Those games sent it to a tiebreaker where Laaksonen secured the first mini-break for a 3-1 lead that he stretched to 6-3. Spizzirri fought off three set points and got the mini-break back at 6-6, but Laaksonen held for the lead and got the final mini-break to win the breaker and the set.
In the third, Laaksonen recorded the only break of the set to take a 2-1 lead that he maintained to the 6-4 win. Despite the loss, Spizzirri turned in a fantastic run of summer play, winning his first pro single title at the ITF Futures in Decatur, Ill., after also capturing the doubles title at the ITF Futures in Champaign, Ill. It has been capped with his first-round qualifying victory at the U.S. Open over ATP No. 163 Alejandro Tabilo on Wednesday.
