The Cavaliers showed exactly why they are strong national championship contenders this season with their impressive play over the weekend at the third annual U.Va. Fall Invitational.
Even without entering the nation's No. 5 player junior Doug Stewart, Virginia still dominated the flight A singles bracket, advancing three players to the semifinals and two to the final. Freshman Somdev Devvarman took the tournament title over junior Rylan Rizza 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5). It was a long, tough match with each player displaying plenty of emotion, but there were no hard feelings between these two Cavaliers.
"We went in as buddies and came out as buddies," Devvarman said. "We were really respecting each other's game and that was good for Virginia tennis."
Devvarman beat No. 8 seed Todd Paul from Wake Forest in straight sets to advance to the final and also took down the nation's No. 59 player, VCU's Arnaud Lecloerec in the quarterfinals.
It was certainly an impressive weekend for the newcomer, but Virginia coach Brian Boland thinks Devvarman's play can get even better.
"There's some things that I think Somdev can improve on," Boland said. "And that's what's exciting considering the level he's already at."
The finals also marked the second round in a row that Rizza had to face off with a teammate. He won a tough three-set match over sophomore Marko Miklo in the semifinals after dropping the first set 1-6.
"It's not that bad," Rizza said of playing another Cavalier. "You throw everything else out the window and you're just playing tennis and you're having fun. We had a great match."
On their way to the semifinals, all three Cavaliers upset higher ranked players. In addition to Devvarman's victory, Rizza beat Jeff Kader from William & Mary, the No. 26 player in the nation, and Miklo defeated the nation's No. 25 player, Jonathan Chu of Harvard.
In the doubles draw, the Cavaliers didn't have their usual pairing of Rizza and junior Nick Meythaler, No. 6 in the nation, together and failed to advance a group past the quarterfinals. The No. 3 seeded duo of Stewart and freshman Treat Huey gave up a default victory in their second round matchup because of a hand injury sustained by Huey. The freshman also dropped his second round match in the Flight A bracket to No. 1 seed Izak Van Der Merwe. Harvard's tandem of Chu and Ashwin Kumar would go on to win the Flight A doubles title.
Virginia also had two semifinalists in the flight B bracket but both senior Chris Gonyer and freshman Eric Riley fell in their first matches on Sunday.
Overall, the weekend tournament showed just how much talent is on the Virginia squad and how even the two finalists can improve.
"If this is the kind of tennis in September, imagine how good it can be in May," Boland said. "Both of these guys can get a lot better over the course of the year and they're already playing at a high level."
The combination of the current level of talent the Cavaliers have displayed, and a fall season focused on individual improvement should add up to a spring season that's well-worth looking forward to for Virginia fans.
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