The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men’s Tennis advances two at NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships
05.24.2023 | Men's Tennis
Junior Eliot Spizzirri moved on to the singles quarterfinals, and the duo of Spizzirri and junior Cleeve Harper won their opening match to reach the doubles round of 16.
Lake Nona, Fla. – Texas Men's Tennis advanced two in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships on Wednesday at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla.
Junior No. 1 Eliot Spizzirri earned his third-consecutive straight-sets victory over a top-60 opponent to move on to the singles quarterfinals, while the duo of Spizzirri and junior Cleeve Harper won their opening match to reach the doubles round of 16. However, junior No. 61 Micah Braswell fell in his bid to also reach the singles quarterfinals.
In a tight match, Spizzirri defeated No. 52 Pedro Rodenas of Duke, 7-5, 7-6 (3). In the first set, Spizzirri broke first for a 4-2 lead that he consolidated to 5-2 on serve on a deuce point. After Rodenas also held, Spizzirri was up, 40-0, attempting to serve out the set, but Rodenas came all the way back for the break as part of a run of 10-straight points. With the score even, 5-5, Rodenas had a 15-40 lead on Spizzirri's next serve, but this time it was Spizzirri who rallied, holding at deuce for 6-5. He then broke on another deuce point in the following game to take the set.
The second set was even closer, as Rodenas got the first break on a deuce point for a 2-1 lead that he made 3-1 on serve. After Spizzirri held for 3-2, the next three games all went to deuce, the first two of which saw the servers get out to a 40-0 lead before the returner forced deuce, only for the server hold in the end. In the third of those deuce games, Spizzirri also led 30-40 before Rodenas saved two game points for 5-3. Spizzirri then held in the following game, and although he trailed 40-15 on Rodenas' next serve, he again came back to win at deuce to even it, 5-5. From there, the last two games stayed on serve to the tiebreaker where Spizzirri used a 5-0 run to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 6-2 lead on the way to a 7-3 win.
Braswell's match, much like Siem Woldeab's from the day before, was determined with deuce points, as he fell to No. 42 Murphy Cassone of Arizona State, 6-2, 6-3. All five deuce points in the contest went to Cassone, making the difference in both sets. In the first, with Cassone leading, 3-2, he won back-to-back games at deuce to break and hold for a 5-2 lead before breaking again for the set. The second set was similar, as with the score even, 2-2, Braswell had two break points, but Cassone fended them off to hold on the first of three-consecutive deuce games, all of which he won for a 5-2 lead. Braswell got one game back on serve, but Cassone also held in the final game to win.
Just as it did the previous two days, weather became a factor in the matches and the schedule. Play was forced inside prior to the No. 3 duo of Harper and Spizzirri taking the court and delayed the start of their match for over three hours. However, the wait was worth it as they moved on with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win over No. 24 Jordan Chrysostom and Ryan Fishback of Virginia Tech. The entire match featured only one break and no deuce points with Texas breaking for 4-2 in the first set on the way to the win, and the second set staying on serve the entire way to a tiebreaker. In the breaker, the Longhorns jumped out to leads of 3-0 and 5-1 and never looked back en route to closing at 7-3.
Both singles and doubles will continue on Thursday with Spizzirri facing No. 8 Ondrej Styler of Michigan for the second time this year after Spizzirri topped him, 7-5, 7-5, at the ITA All-American Championships on October 7. That match will be at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT.
Meanwhile, the duo Spizzirri and Harper will also have a rematch as they take on No. 36 Alan Magadan and Sebastian Rodriguez of UTSA after defeating them, 6-3, in dual match play on January 20. That contest will take place at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT.
Due to the impact of the weather on the schedule, the doubles quarterfinals will also be played on Thursday should Harper and Spizzirri advance and would be held at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT.
2023 NCAA Men's Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships
Singles Round of 16 – May 24
1 seed No. 1 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. No. 52 Pedro Rodenas (Duke), 7-5, 7-6 (3)
No. 42 Murphy Cassone (ASU) def. No. 61 Micah Braswell (UT), 6-2, 6-3
Doubles Round of 32 – May 24
3 seed No. 3 Cleeve Harper/Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. No. 24 Jordan Chrysostom/Ryan Fishback (VT), 6-3, 7-6 (3)
Singles Quarterfinals – May 25
1 seed No. 1 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) vs. 8 seed No. 8 Ondrej Styler (MICH), 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT
Doubles Round of 16 – May 25
3 seed No. 3 Cleeve Harper/Eliot Spizzirri (UT) vs. No. 36 Alan Magadan/Sebastian Rodriguez (UTSA), 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT
Players Mentioned
