Miami Sweeps Clemson at ACC Championship
CARY, N.C. – The fifth-seeded University of Miami men’s tennis team defeated No. 12-seed Clemson, 4-0, Thursday in the first round of the ACC Championship at Cary Tennis Park.
With the victory, No. 29 Miami (17-9, 7-5 ACC) secured its eighth berth in the quarterfinals and first since 2011. Miami will now take on fourth-seeded and No. 20-ranked NC State Friday at 9 a.m. in the quarterfinals.
“It’s really good to get a win against Clemson,” Miami head coach Aljosa Piric said. “Our guys needed to feel the tournament setting, because it is a totally a different feel and vibe in comparison to a regular season match. You have to have a survive and advance mentality, and it was important for us to feel that today. I am happy for the guys and happy to advance.”
The Hurricanes got off to an electrifying start in doubles, cruising to a 6-1 victory on court 1. Four days removed from topping the nation’s No. 62 doubles tandem from Wake Forest, junior Stephen Madonia and sophomore Adria Soriano Barrera improved to 2-0 as a pair with the win over Teodor Giusca and Yizhou Liu.
Competing on court 3, freshmen Franco Aubone and Francisco Bastias moved to 13-2 as a tandem, topping Simon Baudry and Mike Agee, 6-3.
In the lone singles match to remain unfinished, redshirt junior Dane Dunlap and sophomore Bojan Jankulovski held a 5-2 lead over Pierre-Louis Dodens and Jacob Jahn.
In singles, sophomore William Grattan-Smith immediately doubled the Canes’ lead, sweeping Cole Gordon, 6-0, 6-0, on court 6. With the win, the Atlanta native upped his mark to 11-3 in 2019 dual matches.
In a top-100 matchup, No. 42 Soriano Barrera secured a 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 92 Baudry.
Moments later, No. 81 Jankulovski clinched the overall match with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Agee.
A trio of matches remained unfinished, with Bastias holding a 7-6, 4-1 advantage over Liu and Dunlap holding a 7-6, 3-2 lead over Giusca.
In the lone match to reach a third set, Aubone was looking to mount a comeback against Jahn, 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 0-1.
The Hurricanes are now 10-14 all-time at the ACC Championship and 2-2 under the direction of third-year head coach Aljosa Piric.
“We are going to get a good night’s rest tonight and really prepare to play a really good NC State team tomorrow,” Piric said. “We recently played at NC State in its indoor facility, and I think we learned a lot from that match. We have to make some adjustments and come out ready to play, because we know they will be ready.”
To keep up with the University of Miami men’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesMensTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Singles
1. #42 A. Soriano Barrera (UM) def. #92 Simon Baudry (CU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Francisco Bastias (UM) vs. Yizhou Liu (CU) 7-6 (7-5), 1-4, unfinished
3. Dane Dunlap (UM) vs. Teodor Giusca (CU) 7-6 (8-6), 2-3, unfinished
4. #81 Bojan Jankulovski (UM) def. Mike Agee (CU) 6-1, 6-4
5. Franco Aubone (UM) vs. Jacob Jahn (CU) 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 0-1, unfinished
6. W. Grattan-Smith (UM) def. Cole Gordon (CU) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
1. Stephen Madonia/A. Soriano Barrera (UM) def. Teodor Giusca/Yizhou Liu (CU) 6-1
2. Dane Dunlap/Bojan Jankulovski (UM) vs. Pierre-Louis Dodens/Jacob Jahn (CU) 5-2, unfinished
3. Franco Aubone/Francisco Bastias (UM) def. Mike Agee/Simon Baudry (CU) 6-3
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,1,4)
