CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TULSA, Okla., APRIL 18, 2015 – No. 21 USF booked its second consecutive trip to the American Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Championship title match with a 4-1 victory over fifth-seeded Memphis on Saturday at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
Defending champion and top-seeded USF (20-6) will take on second-seeded Tulsa in the championship match 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday after handling a venue change and a tough Tigers team. Rain forced Saturday's action indoors and the Bulls had to take care of business on three courts instead of the normal six-court setup outdoors.
“I was really impressed with how mentally tough they were,” head coach Matt Hill said. “That has been a big thing we've been working really hard on and they really did a great job of that today.”
The Bulls were dealt with more adversity early in the semifinal when they dropped their first doubles point since a loss to Ohio State on Feb. 8. USF stormed back with victories in the first, second, third and fifth singles positions for a chance to hoist the conference crown yet again.
“It really shows the maturity they have this year. It's just a different level than last year,” Hill said.
No. 22 Roberto Cid became USF's men's tennis first All-American last year and the junior from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic continued his strong postseason career with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Connor Glennon in the top singles spot.
“The opponent was definitely an indoor player with a big game and a big serve,” Hill said. “Roberto stepped up as a leader should and really took his tennis to a level that's very uncommon in college. He really took the guy apart. He was more physical and was more aggressive. It was really nice to see after all the hard work he's put in with his serve.”
Senior Oliver Pramming (Denmark) gave the Bulls a 2-1 lead by outlasting Ryan Peniston, 6-3, 7-5, in the second singles spot.
“Oliver really served well and was aggressive in some big moments, which is something he's been working on,” Hill said. “It's great to see those things in training transferring to huge moments. He's been rock solid for us all year and today wasn't any different that's for sure.”
Sophomore Sasha Gozun (Moldova) put USF in a position for the comeback victory by holding off Andrew Watson, 6-4, 7-6 (1), in the third position.
“Sasha has been winning like crazy for us this year and we have all the confidence in the world in him. Today he really stepped up and it was huge for us,” Hill said.
Justin Roberts (Bahamas) clinched match point in Friday's quarterfinal win over Temple and the freshman savored the moment once again in a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Patrick Mayer that sent the Bulls to the title match.
“Justin really stepped up in the big moments and used his weapons intelligently,” Hill said. “He managed the pressure well, kept himself engaged and didn't get down on himself. He's been training really well the last couple of weeks and all of his hard work is showing off in these matches.”
USF seeks its 16th conference championship overall – second in The American – and Hill said Sunday's title opportunity is something the squad has been working toward since starting competition in September.
“These guys have worked incredibly hard for these moments. The regular season is important but it's really a preparation phase for the end of the year,” Hill said. “We want to be playing our best tennis at the end of April and May. We're looking to take things to the next level and show off all our hard work, and they're doing that. “
Watch Sunday's match in progress at The American's championship central streaming page HERE.
No. 1 USF 4, No. 5 Memphis 1
Doubles Competition
1. Connor Glennon/Kai Lemke (MEM) def. Oliver Pramming/Justin Roberts (USF), 6-4
2. Andrew Watson/Louis Asser (MEM) def. Sasha Gozun/Vadym Kalyuzhnyy (USF), 7-5
3. Roberto Cid/Ignacio Gonzalez-Muniz (USF) def. Ryan Peniston/Patrick Mayer (MEM), 7-5
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles Competition
1. Roberto Cid (USF) vs. Connor Glennon (MEM), 6-2, 6-1
2. Oliver Pramming (USF) vs. Ryan Peniston (MEM), 6-3, 7-5
3. Sasha Gozun (USF) vs. Andrew Watson (MEM), 6-4, 7-6(1)
4. Kai Lemke (MEM) vs. Ignacio Gonzalez-Muniz (USF) - DNF
5. Justin Roberts (USF) vs. Patrick Mayer (MEM), 6-3, 6-4
6. Shakeel Manji (MEM) vs. Vadym Kalyuzhnyy (USF) - DNF
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 5
