Katz Makes Round of 16 Run at ITA All-American Championships

TULSA, Okla. – Four Hurricanes wrapped up the University of Miami men’s tennis team’s first weekend of the fall at the ITA All-American Championships.

Senior Martin Katz, ranked No. 43, highlighted the tournament, as he reached the round of 16 in the singles main draw. He started his run with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 win over No. 46 Pierre-Yves Bailly, followed by another straight-set win, 6-4, 6-3, to No. 38 Peter Makk (USC).

Only needing one more win to automatically qualify for the NCAA Singles Championships, Katz battled in three sets but fell to Ohio State’s No. 71 Aidan Kim, 6-2, 4-6, 0-6.

Three other Hurricanes saw appearances in the tournament as day one started with junior Nacho Serra Sanchez and freshman Mehdi Sadaoui taking the prequalifying singles court. Both Hurricanes dropped their matches, as Serra Sanchez fell to Asahi Harazaki (OU), 6-1, 2-6, 1-6, while Sadaoui came up short, 6-4, 4-6, 1-6, to Constantinos Djakouris (UNC).

Following the opening matches, the two also dropped their consolation battles, as Serra Sanchez fell in straight sets to Baylor’s Luc Koenig and Sadaoui put up a fight with Gabriele Brancatelli (GT), 6-7 (6), 6-7 (1).

In doubles, Katz and junior Antonio Prat dropped a hard-fought match to No. 8-seeded Williams Jansen and Christopher Li (Ohio State), 4-6, 6-2, [10-12], while Serra Sanchez and Sadaoui fell 4-6, 6-4, [9-11] to Martin Breysach and Jaden Weeks of Kentucky.

Prat joined the singles draw in the qualifying round, but came up short to USC’s Karl Kazuma Lee, 4-6, 3-6, and again to LSU’s Julien Penzlin, 4-6, 1-6.

Miami returns to the court on Oct. 10-15 for the ITA Southeast Regional Championships in Orlando, Fla., hosted by the University of Central Florida.