M. Tennis Drops Match to Texas
AUSTIN, Texas – Facing eighth-ranked and top-seeded Texas in the second round of ITA Kick-Off Weekend, the University of Miami men’s tennis team fell to the Longhorns, 0-4, Saturday afternoon at the Texas Tennis Center.
“Tough loss against a good Texas team,” Miami head coach Aljosa Piric said. “We had a couple opportunities in doubles. We won on [court] 2, lost on [court] 1 and then had a tiebreaker at No. 3. We had a couple opportunities in the tiebreaker to really get a point and gain momentum heading into singles, but we dropped that.”
In doubles action, the teams split a pair of matches on courts 1 and 2, with Texas’ Christian Sigsgaard and Harrison Scott, ranked No. 33 on the Oracle/ITA doubles list, topping Miami freshmen Franco Aubone and Kaya Gore, 6-0.
On the adjacent court, sophomores Bojan Jankulovski and Adria Soriano Barrera improved to 3-0 as a pair this season, cruising past Colin Markes and Leonardo Telles, 6-1.
In the deciding doubles match, redshirt junior Dane Dunlap and junior Stephen Madonia found themselves in a back-and-forth tiebreaker against Yuya Ito and Chih Chi Huang. With Texas holding a 6-5 advantage following its serve, Ito and Huang earned the break and sealed the match, 7-6 (7-5).
With the win, Texas (3-0) entered singles play holding a 1-0 advantage, while it was the first time this season Miami (4-1) was unable to secure the doubles point.
“Other than really a couple of courts, Francisco winning a set on 3 and Dane at No. 4, I just felt like we didn’t have any wind behind our backs during singles play. I felt like we could never really get going,” Piric said after dropping the close doubles point. “And that is a credit to Texas. They are a good team, they are a top team, and they beat us today. We have to mature and we have to learn from this.”
In singles, Texas quickly added to its lead with No. 18 Ito topping No. 35 Jankulovski, 6-1, 6-1.
At No. 1 singles, No. 21 Soriano Barrera held a 3-1 lead against fourth-ranked Sigsgaard, but the sophomore dropped the final five games in the set and 11 of the final 14 overall, as Sigsgaard avenged his loss from the Miami Spring Invite, 6-3, 6-3.
Holding a 3-0 lead, Texas sealed the match with No. 103 Huang besting Aubone, 6-2, 6-3.
The remaining three matches remained unfinished, with Scott holding a slight advantage on court 4, 3-6, 6-0, 3-0, while Gore trailed against Rodrigo Banzer, 4-6, 1-3.
On court 3, Francisco Bastias, ranked No. 97 in the ITA/Oracle singles rankings, outlasted Leonardo Telles, 7-5, in the opening set, while the two were even at 1-1 in the second set before the match concluded.
“This team has the quality and potential [to compete in these matches], but we have to continue to get better and mature,” Piric said. “There was certainly a lack of maturity today to handle a big match like this, against a top school on their courts. But we have to get better, we have to mature and just keep moving forward.”
Next up, the Hurricanes will battle another top-10 team on the road, when they travel to Starkville, Miss., to challenge third-ranked Mississippi State at 2 p.m. on Friday. Following the conclusion of the match, Miami will play a neutral site contest against Jackson State at 6 p.m.
To keep up with the University of Miami men’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesMensTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Singles
1. No. 4 Christian Sigsgaard (UT) def. No. 21 A. Soriano Barrera (UM), 6-3, 6-3
2. No. 18 Yuya Ito (UT) def. No. 35 Bojan Jankulovski (UM), 6-1, 6-1
3. No. 97 Francisco Bastias (UM) vs. Leonardo Telles (UT), 7-5, 1-1, unfinished
4. Harrison Scott (UT) vs. Dane Dunlap (UM), 3-6, 6-0, 3-0, unfinished
5. No. 103 Chih Chi Huang (UT) def. Franco Aubone (UM), 6-2, 6-3
6. Rodrigo Banzer (UT) vs. Kaya Gore (UM), 6-4, 3-1, unfinished
Doubles
1. #33 Christian Sigsgaard/Harrison Scott (UT) def. Franco Aubone/Kaya Gore (UM), 6-0
2. Bojan Jankulovski/A. Soriano Barrera (UM) def. Leonardo Telles/Colin Markes (UT), 6-1
3. Yuya Ito/Chih Chi Huang (UT) def. Stephen Madonia/Dane Dunlap (UM), 7-6 (7-5)
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (2,1,5)
