The Virginia men’s tennis team dominated in the annual U.Va. Fall Invitational this past weekend, winning titles in four of the five flights in which Virginia athletes competed.
No. 82 Virginia sophomore Sanam Singh captured the A-1 singles final with a 6-1, 6-3 win against freshman teammate Drew Courtney. In the A-2 singles final, Virginia junior Lee Singer defeated fellow teammate No. 104 sophomore Michael Shabaz in a close match resulting in a 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 finish.
Virginia also controlled the play in doubles as the impressive No. 33 duo of Singh and junior Houston Barrick won the A title, overcoming sophomore Sebastien Jacques and junior Yoann Re of Virginia Tech in a close 9-8 tiebreaker. Freshmen David Nguyen and Reese Milner teamed up to win the B doubles final 9-8 against senior Scott Myers and sophomore Walker Lyons of Davidson.
This weekend’s tournament was the first opportunity for the Cavaliers to get back on the courts after weeks of intense preparation.
“Overall I was extremely pleased with the performance this weekend,” Virginia coach Brian Boland said. “I can see where we have already progressed overall in these first couple of weeks of the semester.”
In the finals, Virginia made a great showing as four Cavaliers made it through to the singles’ finals and two of Virginia’s doubles teams made it to the doubles’ finals in a field of 17 schools including seven nationally ranked players. Having a number of ranked players in the tournament only enabled further improvement of players’ skill-sets.
“Our goal is to get better each day by playing as many competitive matches as we can,” Boland said.
In this competitive tournament, Virginia was certainly able to stand out in its first fall contest.
Virginia’s highest ranked player in the tournament, Barrick at No. 75, made the semifinal but had to withdraw; however, he bounced back Sunday to team with Singh as the No. 33-ranked doubles team defeated Jacques and Re of Virginia Tech.
“We did a good job getting out to an early start by winning the first three points in the tie breaker,” Barrick said. “They’re a good doubles team, but we were lucky enough to pull out a win.”
Individually, Singh and Barrick are outstanding singles players. But when paired together, they are a strong force for Virginia. This past summer the two won the doubles competition in the 2008 ITA Summer Championships. The summer win, along with this weekend’s victory, are examples of their strong teamwork.
“We really have done well together,” Barrick said. “We complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Winning in doubles with a friend and teammate makes it that much better because you accomplished something with someone else other than by yourself.”
This tournament also gave the freshmen their first collegiate tennis experience. Milner and Nguyen teamed together to win their first doubles bracket, while Courtney also made a strong statement with an appearance in the A singles final. These newcomers have shown they will be able to make an impact this season.
For Virginia, the remainder of the fall season looks promising with these wins already under its belt.
“This was our first tournament, and it was a great win,” Barrick said. “The future looks bright, and we will continue to work hard.”
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