Ohio State
#7 Texas (ITA Indoors)
Buckeyes Drop Heartbreaker to No. 7 Texas 4-3
2/19/2023 12:19:45 AM | Men's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 1 Ohio State fell for the first time this season, dropping a heartbreaker to No. 7 Texas 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the ITA Indoor Team National Championship on Saturday.
The Buckeyes are now 13-1 on the season and will play Virginia in a consolation match on Sunday afternoon. Ohio State beat Virginia 4-1 last Saturday in Charlottesville.
Ohio State won a close doubles point and then Texas rallied to win four of the six singles matches.
Doubles
- Texas got the first doubles win on court three as JJ Tracy and Cannon Kingsley fell 6-2.
- The Buckeyes got on the board on court one as Andrew Lutschaunig and James Trotter went up a break at 2-1 over the No. 4 ranked team of Cleeve Harper and Eliot Spizzirri and held that lead throughout in a big 6-4 victory.
- Court two was the deciding match. Cash and Boulais raced out to a 5-1 lead but Siem Woldeab and Pierre-Yves Bailly fought back to even the match at 5-5. The Buckeyes broke right back to go up 6-5 but couldn’t hold and the match went to a tiebreak. In the breaker, Cash and Boulais got the first mini-break at 3-1 and would win four of the next five points to take the match 7-2.
Singles
- James Trotter made it 2-0 Buckeyes as he rolled to another straight-set victory with a 6-2, 7-6(3) win over Siem Woldeab on court four. Trotter improves to 13-0 on the season and he has yet to go to a third set in any of his matches.
- Texas got on the board as Nevin Arimilli topped Andrew Lutschaunig 6-4, 6-1 on court six. This was Lutschaunig’s first singles loss this winter.
- The Longhorns pulled even when No. 1 Eliot Spizzirri won 6-4, 2-6, 6-0 over Justin Boulais on court one.
- Texas then took a 3-2 lead as Micah Braswell outlasted JJ Tracy in three sets 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 on court three.
- Robert Cash followed shortly after as he bested Cleeve Harper on court five 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 to improve to 12-0 on the season.
- That left the result to be determined by Cannon Kingsley and Pierre-Yves Bailly on court two. Kingsley won the first set in a tiebreaker and served for the match twice in the second but couldn’t hold either time. He ultimately dropped the second set in a tiebreaker and went to a deciding third set. Kingsley missed the last two and a half matches with an ankle injury and it looked like it affected him in the third set. Bailly would take advantage won the final set 6-2 and the Longhorns advanced.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will take on Virginia on Sunday in a consolation match on Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET.
#7 Texas 4, #1 Ohio State 3
Singles
1. #1 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. Justin Boulais (OSU) 6-4, 2-6, 6-0
2. #33 Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) def. Cannon Kingsley (OSU) 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-2), 6-2
3. #65 Micah Braswell (UT) def. #9 JJ Tracy (OSU) 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
4. #28 James Trotter (OSU) def. #25 Siem Woldeab (UT) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
5. Robert Cash (OSU) def. Cleeve Harper (UT) 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
6. Nevin Arimilli (UT) def. Andrew Lutschaunig (OSU) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
1. #25 James Trotter/Andrew Lutschaunig (OSU) def. #4 Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper (UT) 6-4
2. Robert Cash/Justin Boulais (OSU) def. Siem Woldeab/Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) 7-6 (7-2)
3. Micah Braswell/Chih Chi Huang (UT) def. Cannon Kingsley/JJ Tracy (OSU) 6-2
Match Notes:
Texas 9-1; National ranking #7
Ohio State 13-1; National ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,6,1,3,5,2)
ITA Indoors Team National Championship Quarterfinals
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