CHAMP CENTRAL
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The USF and Tulsa men's teams earned spots in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Championship final. The two teams met in last year's title match with the Bulls claiming the crown.
Men's Championship - Semifinals
No. 1 USF 4, No. 4 Tulane 2
Top seed USF advanced to The American championship final with a 4-2 win over No. 4 seed Tulane on Saturday morning at the Dunavant-Wellford Tennis Center on the campus of the Memphis University School. The Bulls are in search of their third consecutive American Athletic Conference men’s tennis title.
Tulane held an early advantage in the match after claiming the doubles point in dramatic fashion. USF won the first completed doubles match, but the Green Wave answered with a 6-3 win at No. 1 from Dominik Koepfer and Chi-Shan Jao. On court three, Sebastian Rey and Ian Van Cott rallied down 6-3 in the tiebreak to clinch the doubles point with an 8-6 win.
The Bulls’ Peter Bertran evened the match at 1-1 with a straight set win (6-2, 6-2) at No. 4 singles. Tulane’s Constantin Schmitz gave his team the lead back with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 victory at No. 2. USF received three straight singles wins from Vadym Kalyuzhnyy at No. 6, Roberto Cid at No. 1 and Ignacio Gonzalez Mun at No. 5 to clinch the match.
The Bulls will face No. 2 seed Tulsa in the championship final Sunday at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT. The title match will be streamed on The American Digital Network.
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Doubles Competition (Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3)
1. #22 Dominik Koepfer/Chi-Shan Jao (TLN) def. #34 Sasha Gozun/Vadym Kalyuzhnyy (USF) 6-3
2. #27 Dominic Cotrone/Peter Bertran (USF) def. Tyler Schick/Constantin Schmitz (TLN) 6-2
3. Sebastian Rey/Ian Van Cott (TLN) def. Roberto Cid/Ignacio Gonzalez Mun (USF) 7-6 (8-6)
Singles Competition (Order of Finish: 4, 2, 6, 1, 5)
1. #4 Roberto Cid (USF) def. #2 Dominik Koepfer (TLN) 6-2, 7-5
2. #104 Constantin Schmitz (TLN) def. Sasha Gozun (USF) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0
3. #48 Dominic Cotrone (USF) vs. Sebastian Rey (TLN) 4-6, 6-2, 0-1, unfinished
4. Peter Bertran (USF) def. Chi-Shan Jao (TLN) 6-2, 6-2
5. Ignacio Gonzalez Mun (USF) def. Ian Van Cott (TLN) 6-4, 6-3
6. Vadym Kalyuzhnyy (USF) def. Tyler Schick (TLN) 7-5, 6-2
No. 2 Tulsa 4, No. 3 SMU 1
No. 2 seed Tulsa earned a berth into the men’s championship match with a 4-1 win against No. 3 seed SMU on Saturday morning at the Dunavant-Wellford Tennis Center on the campus of the Memphis University School.
SMU captured the doubles point to start the match. Tulsa’s Dylan McCloskey and Dominic Bechard earned the first win in doubles play with a 6-2 win against Nate Lammons and Markus Kerner at No. 2. The Mustangs’ duo of Hunter Johnson and Yates Johnson tallied a 6-3 win on court No. 1, before teammates Samm Butler and Ronald Slobodchikov clinched the point with a 6-4 win against Tulsa’s Majed Kilani and Carlos Bautista on court three.
The Golden Hurricane won all four completed singles matches to earn the semifinal victory. Juan Matias Gonzalez put the first point on the board with a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 2. Carlos Bautista and McCloskey followed with straight set wins on court four and six to push Tulsa’s advantage to 3-1. Or Ram-Harel closed out the match with a 6-0, 1-6, 6-1 win against Lammons at No. 1.
Tulsa faces top-seeded USF in Sunday’s championship final for the second consecutive year. The title match will be played at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT and will be streamed on The American Digital Network.
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Doubles Competition (Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3)
1. #26 Hunter Johnson/Yates Johnson (SMU) def. Matthew Kirby/Okkie Kellerman (TLS) 6-3
2. Dylan McCloskey/Dominic Bechard (TLS) def. Nate Lammons/Markus Kerner (SMU) 6-2
3. Samm Butler/Ronald Slobodchikov (SMU) def. Majed Kilani/Carlos Bautista (TLS) 6-4
Singles Competition (Order of Finish: 2, 4, 6, 1)
1. #46 Or Ram-Harel (TLS) def. #105 Nate Lammons (SMU) 6-0, 1-6, 6-1
2. Juan Matias Gonzalez (TLS) def. #61 Hunter Johnson (SMU) 6-3, 6-1
3. Majed Kilani (TLS) vs. Samm Butler (SMU) 7-5, 5-2, unfinished
4. Carlos Bautista (TLS) def. Markus Kerner (SMU) 6-1, 6-4
5. Francois Kellerman (TLS) vs. Ronald Slobodchikov (SMU) 1-6, 6-3, 4-5, unfinished
6. Dylan McCloskey (TLS) def. Yates Johnson (SMU) 6-4, 6-3