April 25, 2012
Ojai, Calif. -
The 8th seeded Arizona Wildcat men's tennis team fell, 4-0, to the 5th seeded Washington Huskies in the first day of Pac-12 Championship Tournament play.
"Washington played well today and are a top-25 team," said head coach Tad Berkowitz. "It's tough to win in the PAC without a key player in the lineup as well."
In doubles play, the Cats dropped two of three matches and the doubles point went to the Huskies. Finishing first was the teamof Andre Vidaller and Mario Urquidi on court two. The sophomore duo was edged, 8-2, by Matt Sith and Emmett Egger. Next to finish was the team of Frank Chen and Carlos Bermudez on court three. The duo topped Jeff Hawke and Max Manthou, 8-3, for Arizona's only win of the day. On court two, Sebastian Ionescu and Sumeet Shinde remained locked in the deciding battle on court one. The freshman duo fell 8-3 to Kyle McMorrow and Marton Bots.
"Frank and Carlos played well today and with great energy," Berkowitz said. "I'm proud of Frank as he always plays with great emotion."
In singles action, the Cats were edged on three courts and three matches were left unfinished. Finishing first was Urquidi on court two. The El Paso, Texas native fell, 6-1, 6-1 to Bots. Next to finish was Vidaller on court one. Vidaller, a native of Santos, Brazil, was edged, 6-3, 6-0. On court three, Shinde was third to finish. The Pune, India native was topped 6-1, 6-4 by Egger and the Huskies clinched the match.
With the match clinched, Bermudez on court four, Kieren Thompson on court five and Ionescu on court six left matches unfinished. On court four, Bermudez fell, 6-3 in the first set and was down 5-2 in the second set against Manthou when the match was called. Also left in the second set was Thompson. The sophomore from Brisbane, Australia was topped 7-5 in the first set and was down by one game against Viktor Farkas in the second set. Ionescu, had just finished his first set where he had defeated Nicholas Kamisar, 7-6 (3), but because the match had been clinched the two did not enter a second set.
The loss eliminates the Wildcats from the tournament and ends the 2012 season.
"I'm excited about the future of the team," Berkowitz said. "We return our entire top six and have the opportunity to bring in two more guys next year who can impact our team. If we can stay healthy the future looks very bright."
Complete Results
(5) Washington 4 def. (8) Arizona 0
Libby Park
Ojai, Calif.
Doubles
1. McMorrow/Bots (UW) def. Ionescu/Shinde (UA), 8-3
2. Stith/Egger (UW) def. Vidaller/Urquidi (UA), 8-2
3. Chen/Bermudez (UA) def. Hawke/Manthou (UW), 8-3
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1*
*Clinch doubles point
Singles
1. Kyle McMorrow (UW) def. Andre Vidaller (UA), 6-3, 6-0
2. Marton Bots (UW) def. Mario Urquidi (UA), 6-1, 6-1
3. Emmett Egger (UW) def. Sumeet Shinde (UA), 6-1, 6-4
4. Carlos Bermudez (UA) vs. Max Manthou (UW)), 3-6, 2-5, DNF
5. Kieren Thompson (UA) vs. Viktor Farkas (UW), 5-7, 0-1, DNF
6. Sebastian Ionescu (UA) vs. Nicholas Kamisar (UW) 7-6 (3), DNF
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
