TUCSON, Ariz. - For the third straight year, Arizona Men's Tennis had advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships after a 4-0 win over No. 21 Harvard Saturday afternoon.
The Cats kicked off their match at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center with doubles play. Arizona first dropped court one, where No. 45
Colton Smith and Iñaki Cabrera-Bello fell 2-6 to No. 58 David Lins and Daniel Milavsky.
Casper Christensen and
Filip Gustafsson then leveled the score with a 6-3 win on three over Melchior Delloye and Valdemar Pape. The deciding point came down to court two, where junior duo
Jay Friend and
Eric Padgham battled it out to a 7-5 win over 39-ranked Masato Perera and Benjamin Privara.
As Arizona lined up for singles, they needed three matches to win it. Four of six Cats took their first sets, and first to finish in straights was senior Christensen on court six, winning 6-0, 6-3 over Mitchell Lee. Giving Arizona the 3-0 lead was Smith on court one, who rounded out his career at Robson with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 34 Milavsky. Courts two, three, four and five then split for third sets.
With one match needed, No. 6 Friend dominated his third for a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over No. 90 Privara for the 4-0 sweep.
Arizona will wait for regional rounds to conclude before finding out who, and where, they will play during the Sweet 16 round, taking place from May 9-11.
Results
Doubles (Order of finish: 1, 3, 2)
1. #58 David Lins and Daniel Milavsky (HARV) def. #45 Inaki Cabrera-Bello and
Colton Smith (ARIZ) 6-2
2.
Jay Friend and
Eric Padgham (ARIZ) def. #39 Masato Perera and Benjamin Privara (HARV) 7-5
3.
Casper Christensen and
Filip Gustafsson (ARIZ) def. Melchior Delloye and Valdemar Pape (HARV) 6-3
Singles (Order of finish: 6, 1, 2)
1. #5
Colton Smith (ARIZ) def. #34 Daniel Milavsky (HARV) 6-3, 6-3
2. #6
Jay Friend (ARIZ) def. #90 Benjamin Privara (HARV) 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
3. #103
Zoran Ludoski (ARIZ) vs. Rohan Murali (HARV), unfinished, 4-6, 6-3, 3-3
4.
Filip Gustafsson (ARIZ) vs. Valdemar Pape (HARV), unfinished, 6-1, 5-7, 4-2
5.
Alexander Rozin (ARIZ) vs. Melchior Delloye (HARV), unfinished, 6-3, 4-6, 3-4
6.
Casper Christensen (ARIZ) def. Mitchell Lee (HARV) 6-0, 6-3