The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Ohio State
No. 15 Men’s Tennis edged by No. 2 Ohio State, 4-3
03.12.2022 | Men's Tennis
The Longhorns pushed the Buckeyes to the third set of the final singles match, but came up just short in an attempt to rally from a 3-0 deficit.
Austin – No. 15 Texas Men's Tennis was edged by No. 2 Ohio State, 4-3, at the Texas Tennis Center on Saturday. The Longhorns pushed the Buckeyes to the third set of the final singles match in attempting to rally from a 3-0 deficit, but came up just short in the comeback attempt.
Texas collected singles wins from sophomore Eliot Spizzirri at No. 3, sophomore No. 38 Micah Braswell at No. 1 and junior Chih Chi Huang at No. 5, after falling in an extremely close deciding match of the doubles point. The Longhorns continued to be shorthanded, missing freshman No. 20 Pierre-Yves Bailly, sophomore Cleeve Harper and junior Nevin Arimilli due to injury.
After doubles, Ohio State took singles matches and Nos. 2 and 6, which finished within seconds of each other, for their 3-0 lead. However, the Longhorns started their rally with a pair of straight-sets wins in response with the first coming from Spizzirri over Jake Van Emburgh, 6-3, 6-4. After Spizzirri held his opening serve on a deuce point and Van Emburgh also held, Spizzirri went on a 3-0 run on the strength of a deuce-point break two games later. Spizzirri made that break hold up, completing the set at 6-3 on another deuce win. In the second, each player picked up a break starting with Spizzirri. His next break then came on a deuce point and provided a 3-2 lead that he consolidated with a hold at 4-2. That would be all he needed as the rest of the match stayed on serve to his win.
Following that, Huang put together an impressive 7-5, 7-5 victory over No. 26 James Trotter. Huang got out to a quick 2-0 lead using a deuce-point break in the first game. After Huang extended that to 3-1, Trotter held and got the break back to even it at 3-3. The next four games stayed on serve until Huang collected back-to-back deuce points on a break and a hold for a 6-5 lead and 7-5 win. In the second, it would be Trotter striking for the first break and sandwiching two holds around it for a 3-0 lead. Huang then held and broke to get back within 3-2, and after Trotter answered the break, Huang got another and held on a deuce point to even it at 4-4. It was the first of three-straight deuce points with the other two resulting in holds to 5-5, until Huang snagged the break he needed for the lead and served out on another deuce point to his win.
At that point, Braswell had moved into the third set of his 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory over No. 8 Cannon Kingsley. After each player held their opening serve, Braswell secured a deuce-point break for a 2-1 lead. Despite two more deuce points, both won by Kingsley, it would prove to be the only break of the first set, giving it to Braswell. In the second, Braswell immediately picked up another break, held for 2-0 and had a deuce break point for a chance to extend, but Kingsley was able to hold for 2-1. Braswell then also held to go up 3-1, but Kingsley began a 3-0 run based on a break at 3-3, and the rest of the set stayed on serve until Kingsley broke again at 7-5. However, the third set belonged to Braswell, who used breaks in the first and third games to get out to a 4-0 lead that he closed with a deuce-point hold. Kingsley got two more games on serve, but Braswell also held with the last one coming on a deuce point for the match.
That shifted all the attention to No. 4 where sophomore Siem Woldeab had rallied to force a third set against No. 11 JJ Tracy. Woldeab established 3-1 leads in both of the first two sets, using a break that came at 2-1 in the first. The next six games stayed on serve despite there being three deuce points, the last of which was also a set point for Woldeab at 5-3, but Tracy stayed alive and began a 4-0 run to take the set himself. The first three games of the second were all breaks with two of those in favor of Woldeab, who held for 3-1. Tracy answered the break two games later as part of a 3-0 run to retake the lead at 4-3, which he did on a deuce point. The next three games were also holds with the last two coming at deuce, but Woldeab emerged from the 5-5 knot with a break to take the lead, followed by a deuce-point hold to send it to the third. There, both players started with deuce-point holds with Woldeab making an impressive comeback from being down 0-40 for his. Despite that break being prevented, Tracy got the one he needed two games later for a 3-1 lead that he turned into 4-1 on serve, and he was able to make the break stand to the 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 finish.
In the other two singles matches won by the Buckeyes, No. 5 Matej Vocel had downed senior No. 32 Richard Ciamarra, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 2, and Andrew Lutschaunig had topped sophomore Evin McDonald, 6-1, 6-4, at No. 6. The first set for Ciamarra was back and forth as each player recorded two breaks to 4-4, however Vocel got one more break for a 5-4 lead and served out the set, starting a 7-0 overall run for him that put him up 5-0 in the second. Ciamarra tried to get back into it with a break and a hold for 5-2, but Vocel closed on serve after that. After a difficult first set for McDonald, he kept the second set on serve for all but one game, which Lutschaunig won on a deuce point for a 4-3 lead, but that would prove to be all Lutschaunig needed, maintaining serve to the win.
Earlier in doubles, the Longhorns picked up a top-five win at No. 3 where Spizzirri and Huang played together for the first time this year and downed the third-ranked duo of Trotter and Justin Boulais, 6-1. Texas won the last six games, including deuce points on the final two. That had followed a 6-1 win for the Buckeyes where the nation's No. 1 duo of Vocel and Robert Cash defeated Ciamarra and Braswell, who were playing together for the first time in dual match play.
That left it to No. 2 where the Longhorns appeared to be in good position to take the point with leads of 4-2 and 5-3 for Woldeab and McDonald against Kingsley and Tracy. Texas had a deuce-point break opportunity with the 4-2 lead, but the Buckeyes were able to hold and pull back within 4-3. Woldeab and McDonald, who had also only played together once in dual match play, won the next game on serve, but Ohio State set out on a 4-0 run, including a deuce-point hold for a 6-5 lead and another break to take the match at 7-5.
The Longhorns (8-7) next head back on the road to the west coast for matches against No. 9 USC on Tuesday, March 15, and No. 27 Pepperdine on Friday, March 18.
#2 Ohio State 4, #15 Texas 3
Singles – Order of Finish (2,6,3,5,1,4)
1. #38 Micah Braswell (UT) def. #8 Cannon Kingsley (OHST) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
2. #5 Matej Vocel (OHST) def. #32 Richard Ciamarra (UT) 6-4, 6-2
3. Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. Jake Van Emburgh (OHST) 6-3, 6-4
4. #11 JJ Tracy (OHST) def. Siem Woldeab (UT) 7-5, 5-7, 6-3
5. Chih Chi Huang (UT) def. #26 James Trotter (OHST) 7-5, 7-5
6. Andrew Lutschaunig (OHST) def. Evin McDonald (UT) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles – Order of Finish (1,3,2)
1. #1 Matej Vocel/Robert Cash (OHST) def. Richard Ciamarra/Micah Braswell (UT) 6-1
2. Cannon Kingsley/JJ Tracy (OHST) def. Siem Woldeab/Evin McDonald (UT) 7-5
3. Eliot Spizzirri/Chih Chi Huang (UT) def. #3 James Trotter/Justin Boulais (OHST) 6-1
Players Mentioned
