Tournament Central | Photo Gallery
NEW ORLEANS – A rollercoaster doubles point didn't end in favor of the top-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's tennis program, but the overall match did in a 4-1 final over No. 5 Nicholls in the semifinals of the SLC Championship on Saturday at the University Tennis Center.
After dropping the doubles point, the Islanders (15-9) did not lose a set in singles. They took command by winning the first set on all six courts and never looked back.
"These guys showed incredible determination after dropping the doubles point. I thought Nicholls brought incredible energy in doubles and definitely deserve credit for that," said head coach
Steve Moore. "But our guys regrouped, stayed tough and focused! There was a strong commitment to play every point with intensity after we lost the doubles. These guys really believe in their legs and heart – which is what it's about when it's hot and windy like today."
A&M-Corpus Christi did win a court of doubles. Sophomores
Ryuya Ata and
Borja Delgado won a quick 6-1 decision on court two. Though, the Colonels grabbed court three and then squeaked out a tiebreak 7-6 (5) on court one.
In singles, the Islanders were in full control from the start. A pair of 6-1, 6-1 matches put them in the lead 2-1 as sophomore
Pascal Lorieul got it done on court one and junior
Ulysse Bertrand on court three.
Senior
Kyohei Yamanaka followed suit with a 6-2, 6-1 win on court four. The clincher came on court two as sophomore
Nathan Schwartz closed out a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
A&M-Corpus Christi will faced third-seeded New Orleans in the championship match at 2 p.m. Sunday. The winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The men will be playing for their 22nd championship in program history, 10th NCAA Tournament appearance and third in a row after winning in 2019 and 2021 (no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19).
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 13 NCAA Tournaments
- 29 SLC Championships
- 4 Top-40 National Rankings
- 3.0 GPA 35 Straight Semesters
- Islanders have received a No. 3 seed at the NCAA Tournament three times
- Women's tennis has cracked the ITA top-75 national rankings three times
- Men's tennis has cracked the ITA national rankings 10 consecutive years
- Ranked nationally in NCAA DI as high as No. 35 for the men and No. 60 for the women
A&M-Corpus Christi 4, New Orleans 1
Doubles Competition
1. Nicola Wehrle/P. Surendra Salekar (NICM) def.
Pascal Lorieul/
Nathan Schwartz (AMCC-M) 7-6 (7-5)
2.
Ryuya Ata/
Borja Delgado (AMCC-M) def. A. Martin-Thiriat/Pavle Drobnjakovic (NICM) 6-1
3. Omar Morsy/Antonio Sasso (NICM) def.
Ulysse Bertrand/
Guillermo Castaneda (AMCC-M) 6-4
Singles Competition
1.
Pascal Lorieul (AMCC-M) def. Omar Morsy (NICM) 6-1, 6-1
2.
Nathan Schwartz (AMCC-M) def. P. Surendra Salekar (NICM) 6-4, 6-1
3.
Matthieu Peres (AMCC-M) vs. A. Martin-Thiriat (NICM) 6-2, 1-3, unfinished
4.
Kyohei Yamanaka (AMCC-M) def. Pavle Drobnjakovic (NICM) 6-2, 6-1
5.
Ulysse Bertrand (AMCC-M) def. Antonio Sasso (NICM) 6-1, 6-1
6.
Guillermo Castaneda (AMCC-M) vs. Nicola Wehrle (NICM) 6-1, 1-3, unfinished
Stay Social
For more information on Islanders Tennis, follow the team on Twitter (
@IslandersTennis), Instagram (
@IslandersTennis) and like their Facebook page (
Islanders Tennis).
#ShakasUp
