Miami Defeats Clemson To Open ITA Kick-Off Weekend
WACO, Texas – The University of Miami men’s tennis team opened ITA Kick-Off Weekend with a 4-1 victory over the Clemson Tigers, Sunday afternoon at the Hurd Tennis Center.
It took all three doubles matches plus two tiebreakers, but the Hurricanes (5-0) came away with the doubles point to set the tone for the rest of the match. After Clemson (3-1) evened the score at one, Miami rattled off three straight wins to close out the 4-1 victory.
Graduate student Dan Martin and fourth-year junior Oren Vasser remained undefeated in doubles action this season (1-0 dual, 4-0 overall), tallying a 6-4 victory at third doubles to win Miami’s first doubles match of the day.
The seventh-ranked duo of fifth-year senior Benjamin Hannestad and fourth-year junior Franco Aubone battled Clemson’s Ryuhei Azuma and Teodor Giusca all the way to a tiebreak, but ultimately fell 7-6 (2) to even the doubles segment at one match apiece.
Not to be outdone by the No. 1 doubles match, the clash on court two was also decided by a tiebreak as fourth-year junior Juan Martin Jalif and freshman Martin Katz rallied from down 6-5 to force a tiebreak. The Miami pair carried their momentum into the tiebreak, besting Clemson’s duo 7-4 to clinch the doubles point for the Hurricanes.
No. 109 Teodor Giusca leveled the score at one for Clemson, defeating fifth-year senior Bojan Jankulovski in straight sets 6-2, 6-0.
Martin put the Hurricanes back on top in a three-set battle, rallying from a 2-6 defeat in set one to conceding just one game over the next two sets to beat Clemson’s Ryuhei Azuma 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 on court one.
Katz extended Miami’s lead with a decisive two-set victory, besting Matt Pitts 6-3, 6-4 to stay undefeated as a Hurricane at 5-0. With three singles matches in third sets, the overall match was ultimately decided at third doubles, where Hannestad clinched the victory for Miami with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win over Jorge Plans Gonzalez.
Vasser led Spencer Whitaker 2-6, 6-1, 4-3 when the match ended, while Jalif trailed Maxwell Smith 6-0, 4-6, 2-3.
Miami will play the winner of Baylor and William & Mary at 2 p.m. on Monday at the Hurd Tennis Center in the championship match.
FULL RESULTS
Singles competition
1. #121 Dan Martin (UM) def. Ryuhei Azuma (CLE) 2-6, 6-0, 6-1
2. #109 Teodor Giusca (CLE) def. Bojan Jankulovski (UM) 6-2, 6-0
3. Benjamin Hannestad (UM) def. Jorge Plans Gonzalez (CLE) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
4. Oren Vasser (UM) vs. Spencer Whitaker (CLE) 2-6, 6-1, 4-3, unfinished
5. Martin Katz (UM) def. Matt Pitts (CLE) 6-3, 6-4
6. Juan Martin Jalif (UM) vs. Maxwell Smith (CLE) 6-0, 4-6, 2-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Ryuhei Azuma/Teodor Giusca (CLE) def. #7 Franco Aubone/Benjamin Hannestad (UM) 7-6 (7-2)
2. Martin Katz/Juan Martin Jalif (UM) def. Maxwell Smith/Trey Stinchcomb (CLE) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Oren Vasser/Dan Martin (UM) def. Spencer Whitaker/Jorge Plans Gonzalez (CLE) 6-4
