Miami Defeats UNCW 5-1
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – In the first match of Tuesday’s doubleheader, the No. 43-ranked University of Miami men’s tennis team defeated UNC-Wilmington, 5-1, at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
Miami (10-4, 3-0 ACC) got the afternoon started off on the right foot, with freshmen Franco Aubone and Francisco Bastias dominating Michael Copeland and Dillon Gooch, 6-2. With the victory, the duo improved to 5-0 this spring alongside one another.
Competing on court 2, redshirt junior Dane Dunlap and junior Stephen Madonia came up short against Bruno Caula and Cole Groetsch, 4-6, as all eyes turned to court 1.
In the deciding match, sophomores Tatsuki Shimamoto and Adria Soriano Barrera overcame a 3-4 deficit against Daniel Groom and Michael Morphy, to seal the advantageous doubles point, 6-4.
In singles, Dunlap quickly doubled the Canes’ lead with a dominating, 6-1, 6-1, triumph over Caula.
Competing on court 5, Aubone followed suit with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Davide Innocenti, as Miami held a commanding 3-0 lead.
In Miami’s lone setback of the match, No. 19 Soriano Barrera came up short against Austin Hussey, 7-6 (7-3), 1-6, 4-6.
At No. 4 singles, sophomore Bojan Jankulovski, No. 71 in the Oracle/ITA national singles rankings, again found himself in position to seal the victory for Miami. After Copeland forced a third set against the Skopje, Macedonia, native, Jankulovski cruised through the third set to secure the win, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1.
Playing on the adjacent court, at No. 6 singles, sophomore William Grattan-Smith and his opponent Leo Sprovieri played out their third-set tiebreaker following the match clincher. After dropping just his third set of the spring, 2-6, the Atlanta native cruised through the second set, 6-1. In the third, Grattan-Smith fell behind 2-5 before winning four of the next five games to force the tiebreaker.
In the tiebreaker, the sophomore jumped out to a 6-2 lead, before sealing the match 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5). With the victory, Grattan-Smith improved to 9-0 this spring, and has now won 18 of 21 sets.
The remaining match remained unfinished, with Bastias and Groom even through two sets, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4.
Miami will look to extend its winning streak to three games when it welcomes Boston University to the Neil Schiff Tennis Center at 4 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. Austin Hussey (UNCW) def. #19 A. Soriano Barrera (UM), 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, 6-4
2. Francisco Bastias (UM) vs. Daniel Groom (UNCW), 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, unfinished
3. Dane Dunlap (UM) def. Bruno Caula (UNCW), 6-1, 6-1
4. #71 Bojan Jankulovski (UM) def. Michael Copeland (UNCW), 6-4, 1-6, 6-1
5. Franco Aubone (UM) def. Davide Innocenti (UNCW), 6-3, 6-1
6. W. Grattan-Smith (UM) def. Leo Sprovieri (UNCW), 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5)
Doubles
1. Tatsuki Shimamoto/A. Soriano Barrera (UM) def. Daniel Groom/Michael Morphy (UNCW), 6-4
2. Bruno Caula/Cole Groetsch (UNCW) def. Dane Dunlap/Stephen Madonia (UM), 6-4
3. Franco Aubone/Francisco Bastias (UM) def. Michael Copeland/Dillon Gooch (UNCW), 6-2
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (3,5,1,4,6)
