The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men’s Tennis’ Micah Braswell advances to NCAA Singles Championships Round of 32
05.20.2024 | Men's Tennis
Senior Micah Braswell moved on to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Singles Championships, while senior Eliot Spizzirri, freshman Gilles-Arnaud Bailly, and sophomore Jonah Braswell’s singles tournaments concluded.
Stillwater, Okla. – Texas Men's Tennis senior 5 seed No. 5 Micah Braswell advanced to the NCAA Singles Championships Round of 32 on Monday afternoon at the Greenwood Tennis Center, while senior 2 seed No. 2 Eliot Spizzirri, freshman No. 40 Gilles-Arnaud Bailly, and sophomore No. 56 Jonah Braswell fell in the Round of 64.
Micah Braswell took down No. 50 Jeremy Jin of Florida, 6-3, 6-4, in the tournament's opening round. The match's first three games were all broken, with Braswell earning a deuce-point break for 2-1, before the senior collected the match's first hold on another deuce point for 3-1. Braswell extended his lead by taking the next two games for a 5-1 advantage, and although Jin ended Braswell's 4-0 run with a hold then a break for 5-3, Braswell broke back to take the first set. At 2-2 in the second set, Jin broke ahead on a deuce point then held for 4-2, but Braswell answered with a 4-0 run that was capped off with a deuce-point break to win the match.
Up next, Braswell will face No. 28 Taha Baadi of Kentucky in the Round of 32 on Tuesday at 2 p.m. CT
Spizzirri was downed in his match against No. 25 Filippo Moroni of Wake Forest, 6-1, 7-5, even though Spizzirri had just defeated Moroni, 6-0, 6-3, two days earlier in the team semifinals. Spizzirri swept the match's first game for a break, but Moroni went on a 6-0 run which saw him earn three deuce-point breaks. The Texas senior ended Moroni's streak with a deuce-point hold in the second set's opening game, but Moroni would do the same then break for 2-1. From there, Spizzirri broke back which sparked a 4-0 run for 5-2 and found himself with a set point in the next game before Moroni earned a deuce-point hold to extend it. Moroni's deuce-point hold was the first of what would become a five-game winning streak, which saw him break on a deuce point for 6-5 then consolidate it by serving out the match.
Spizzirri is slated for the NCAA Doubles Championships' opening Round of 32 where the No. 24 tandem of him and senior Cleeve Harper will take on No. 17 JJ Bianchi and Jake Vassel of Boston College on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Shortly after Spizzirri's singles match concluded, Bailly fell to No. 55 Samir Banerjee of Stanford, 7-5, 6-2. The match's first three games stayed on serve, with Banerjee holding on a deuce point for 2-1, before he collected a deuce-point break for consecutive deuce-point wins. Bailly broke back, held, then was able to break ahead on a deuce point for 4-3, but Banerjee evened the set with a break then a hold on a deuce point for 5-4. The next two games stayed on serve before Banerjee broke on a deuce point to take the set. At 2-2 in the second set, Banerjee went on a 4-0 run to clinch the win.
Jonah Braswell experienced injury issues in the latter stages of his match where he was defeated by 9-16 seed No. 11 Murphy Cassone of Arizona State, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3. After Cassone held in the match's opening game, Braswell took consecutive deuce points with a hold then a break for 2-1, but Cassone broke back to even the set. From there, the next six games stayed on serve, with Braswell holding on a deuce point in the eighth game, before the Texas sophomore earned a break then consolidated to take the set. At 2-1 in the second set, Cassone broke then held for 4-1. Braswell ended Cassone's 3-0 run with a 3-0 streak of his own to knot up the set at four games apiece. He then had two break point chances, but Cassone managed to hold on a deuce point for 5-4. From there, the remaining games stayed on serve to force a tiebreaker. Braswell broke the tiebreaker's first point courtesy of a Cassone double fault, but the Sun Devil responded with a 4-0 run. At 4-1, Braswell held serve for 4-2, but Cassone earned a minibreak for 5-2. Braswell broke back for 5-3, and later held serve to trail, 6-4, but Cassone broke to win the tiebreaker, 7-4, and take the second set. Braswell responded to his tiebreaker loss with a 3-0 run to start to the third set, but from there the sophomore began to show signs of injury and was forced to use an underhanded serve for much of the remainder of the match. Braswell's limitations allowed Cassone to complete a 6-0 run, including two deuce-point breaks en route to the win.
2024 Men's Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships
Singles Round of 64 – Monday, May 20
5 seed #5 Micah Braswell (UT) def. #50 Jeremy Jin (UF), 6-3, 6-4
9-16 seed #11 Murphy Cassone (ASU) def. #56 Jonah Braswell (UT), 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3
#25 Filippo Moroni (WF) def. 2 seed #2 Eliot Spizzirri (UT), 6-1, 7-5
#55 Samir Banerjee (STAN) def. #40 Gilles-Arnaud Bailly (UT), 7-5, 6-2
Singles Round of 32 – Tuesday, May 21
5 seed #5 Micah Braswell (UT) vs. #28 Taha Baadi (UK), 2 p.m. CT
Doubles Round of 32 – Tuesday, May 21
#24 Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper (UT) vs. #17 JJ Bianchi/Jake Vassel (BC), 6:30 p.m. CT
Players Mentioned
