NCAA Tournament Tuesdays: 2001 Men's Tennis

2001 Men’s Tennis

The 2001 season was a year full of upsets, culminating in a No. 11 ranking and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. A spectacular 21-4 overall record, with key upset wins versus No. 15 Mississippi State, No. 19 Baylor and No. 10 Notre Dame, made the Hurricanes one of the nation’s top tennis programs.

In the first round of the Tournament, Miami faced No. 69 Charleston Southern, winning easily 4-0. The win advanced Miami to the second round of the NCAA regional tournament for the first time since the 1997 season. The Canes won 4-1 versus No. 46 Minnesota in the second round, furthering their run in the NCAA Tournament. ACC foe, No. 6 Duke, ended the Canes’ spectacular season in a 4-1 loss in the Round of 16.

Throughout their season, the Miami men’s tennis team found leadership in Mike Lang, Jose Lieberman, and Johan Lindqvist, who all recorded 20-plus singles wins. Lang and Lieberman also teamed up to lead the team in doubles wins. Recording 19 doubles wins, Tomas Smid and Peter Hoffman were also a dominant duo. The 2001 men’s tennis team found players stepping up to accomplish a season in which the Hurricanes gained national recognition. 

Jay Berger was an All- American at Clemson University with a 91-22 singles record. After the 1986 season, Berger joined the professional ranks. Highlights of his career include reaching the quarterfinals of both the French Open and U.S. Open, and becoming #7 in the world in men’s singles. After knee injuries forced him to retire in 1992, Berger turned to coaching and coached the University of Miami men’s tennis team for 5 seasons from 1998-2002. During the 2001 season, Berger coached the Hurricanes to a 21-win season and a Round of 16 NCAA Tournament finish.