University of Washington
Arizona
No. 19 Huskies Pounce On No. 21 Wildcats For 6-1 Win
April 04, 2004 | Men's Tennis
April 4, 2004
SEATTLE, Wash. - In perhaps their best performance of the year thus far, Washington's men's tennis team controlled play from the start to the finish of a 6-1conference win over Arizona at Quillian Stadium this afternoon. The 19th-ranked Huskies (13-6, 3-1 Pac-10) figured to be in for a battle with the 21st-ranked Wildcats but the Dawgs stepped up to the challenge across the board, winning the top five singles matches and the doubles point for their third straight Pac-10 win.
Washington's sixth-ranked All-American Alex Vlaski faced Arizona's only-ranked player, No. 64 Ryan Matalonga, at No. 1 singles in the day's featured match. The players exchanged groundstrokes from beyond the baseline point after point in the first set, with Vlaski picking up the service break in the ninth game and serving out the set in the tenth. Matalonga took the momentum back with a 6-1 second set win and seemed to be frustrating Vlaski with his consistency. But Vlaski held serve to start the third set and turned the tide, finally wearing down his opponent to take the third set, 6-1. The Husky junior has racked up 14 wins over ranked opponents this year.
Vlaski's win came after Washington had already clinched the victory by virtue of three straight-set wins at second, third and fourth singles. Junior Christoph Palmanshofer gave UW a 2-0 advantage with a workmanlike 6-3, 6-4 win over Tom Lloyd at No. 4 singles. Freshman Daniel Chu then pushed the lead to 3-0, by earning the second win of his career at No. 3 singles. Chu trailed 3-2 in both sets before breaking Colin O'Grady's serve in the seventh game of each set to go up 4-3, from which point he served out each set winning 6-4, 6-4.
The clinching point came at second singles where 43rd-ranked freshman Alex Slovic was taken to a second-set tiebreak after failing to serve out the match up 5-4. Once reaching the tiebreak however, Slovic reasserted himself and ran away with the 7-2 tiebreak win. At No. 5 singles, junior Peter Scharler came back from down one set and a break in the second, winning the second set tiebreaker, 7-5, and the third-set super tiebreak, 10-7, played because the match was decided by the end of their second set. Scharler has won five straight matches, four of which have been three-set wins. Vlaski, Slovic, and Scharler were a combined 6-0 in singles play against Arizona and Arizona State on Friday.
Washington jumped out to a 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point for the sixth time in the last seven matches. Slovic and senior Nick Weiss ran their record to 7-0 as a duo by downing ASU's Kim and Andrus, 8-5, at No. 2 doubles to clinch the point. The win came shortly after Scharler and Palmanshofer finished off their foes at third doubles by an 8-2 score. Arizona salvaged a win at No. 1 doubles where Matalonga and O'Grady beat Vlaski and Chu, 8-5.
The most difficult homestand of the year is next up for Washington as the Huskies take on fourth-ranked USC on Friday, April 9 and fifth-ranked UCLA on April 10. Both matches will be at 1:30 at the Bill Quillian Stadium.
Washington Men's Tennis vs. Arizona
April 4, 2004 - Bill Quillian Stadium - Seattle, Wash.
No. 19 Washington 6, No. 21 Arizona 1
Doubles
1. Matalonga/O'Grady (UA) def. Chu/Vlaski (UW), 8-5
2. Slovic/Weiss (UW) def. Kim/Andrus (UA), 8-5
3. Palmanshofer/Scharler (UW) def. Warkentin/Mullane (UA), 8-2
Singles
1. (6) Alex Vlaski (UW) def. (64) Roger Matalonga (UA), 6-4, 1-6, 6-1
2. (43) Alex Slovic (UW) def. Whi Kim (UA), 6-3, 7-6 (2)
3. Daniel Chu (UW) def. Colin O'Grady (UA), 6-4, 6-4
4. Christoph Palmanshofer (UW) def. Tom Lloyd (UA), 6-3, 6-4
5. Peter Scharler (UW) def. Daniel Andrus (UA), 3-6, 7-6 (5), 1-0 (7)
6. Paul Warkentin (UA) def. Chris Floyd (UW), 6-1, 6-7, 6-2
