University of Washington
Oregon
Huskies Finish Off Ducks To End Regular Season
April 23, 2011 | Men's Tennis
April 23, 2011
EUGENE, Ore. - In a surprising 1-0 hole after doubles play, the 22nd-ranked Husky men's tennis team stepped up to dominate singles play and erase any chance of a letdown in its regular season finale against 69th-ranked Oregon. The Huskies (17-8, 3-3 Pac-10) took the top five singles matches, the first four in straight sets, to earn a 5-2 victory and finish in a three-way tie for third in the Pac-10 along with UCLA and California. It's the second win this season for the Huskies against their Northwest rivals, and the 15th in a row against UO.
USC won the Pac-10 title with a 6-0 mark, followed by Stanford at 4-2, and the Huskies, Bruins, and Bears at 3-3. Oregon (1-5) and Arizona (0-6) round out the conference standings. Washington will head to the Pac-10 Championships next week in Ojai, Calif. and then await NCAA tourney selections on May 3. The Huskies are all but assured of a 17th consecutive NCAA tourney bid, all coming under 17th-year Head Coach Matt Anger.
Oregon took the top two doubles matches to get out to an early 1-0 lead, but the veteran Husky squad responded well to the challenge. 48th-ranked sophomore Kyle McMorrow posted UW's first point with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Robin Cambier at second singles. McMorrow now needs just one more win to become the fifth Husky with 30 singles wins in a year.
Senior Martin Kildahl, ranked 120th, then handled Jose Izquierdo, 6-3, 6-3 at third singles, and senior Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan rolled over Alex Rovello, 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 singles to give the Dawgs a 3-1 edge. UW's third starting senior, Tobi Obenaus, provided the clincher with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Duncan MacDonald-Korth at No. 4 singles. The Husky senior class finished up 8-0 in their careers against the Ducks.
With the match decided, sophomore Marton Bots bounced back from an off second set to beat Aaron Clissold, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in the No. 5 spot. Oregon's only singles point came at six, where freshman Max Manthou lost the first set, but won the second to force a 10-point match tiebreak for the third against Sho Higuchi, but the Duck came out ahead, 10-7.
The annual Pac-10 Championships begin Thursday, April 28, and are held in conjunction with the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament, now in its 111th year.
Washington Men's Tennis
April 23, 2011 - Eugene, Ore.
18th Street Courts
No. 22 Washington 5, No. 69 Oregon 2
Doubles
1) Rovello/Cambier (Ore) def. (25) McMorrow/Nedunchezhiyan (UW), 8-6
2) MacDonald-Korth/Clissold (Ore) def. Kildahl/Obenaus (UW), 8-5
3) Bots/Schmidt (UW) def. Izquierdo/Mayeda (Ore), 8-3
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1) (59) Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (UW) def. Alex Rovello (Ore), 6-3, 6-1
2) (48) Kyle McMorrow (UW) def. Robin Cambier (Ore), 6-3, 6-2
3) (120) Martin Kildahl (UW) def. Jose Izquierdo (Ore), 6-3, 6-3
4) Tobi Obenaus (UW) def. Duncan MacDonald-Korth (Ore), 6-4, 6-1
5) Marton Bots (UW) def. Aaron Clissold (Ore), 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
6) Sho Higuchi (Ore) def. Max Manthou (UW), 6-3, 4-6, (10-7)
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1, 4, 5, 6
Players Mentioned
