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Virginia looks ready for the Round of 16 with two strong wins in the Charlottesville Regional

The Cavaliers defeated Fairleigh Dickinson and Stanford to head to the round of 16 in the NCAA championship tournament

<p>Virginia graduate student Carl Soderlund put on a strong performance over the weekend to help the Cavaliers reach the Round of 16.</p>

Virginia graduate student Carl Soderlund put on a strong performance over the weekend to help the Cavaliers reach the Round of 16.

Virginia versus Fairleigh Dickinson

The No. 5 Virginia men’s tennis team opened the 2021 NCAA tournament with a 4-0 victory against Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday at the Virginia Tennis Facility at Boar’s Head Resort. The Cavaliers (23-2, 12-0 ACC) started off hot in doubles against the Knights (6-5, 4-0 NEC) and never looked back on the way to their 16th straight victory. 

Virginia graduate student Carl Soderlund and junior William Woodall defeated sophomore Teodors Pukse and senior Andris Gudins 6-3, while the freshman pair Jeffrey von der Schulenburg and Iñaki Montes de la Torre defeated sophomore Taiga Koyama and senior Eduardo Cabral 6-0 to earn the Cavaliers the doubles point. 

In singles, Montes dominated with a 6-1, 6-0 victory on court three to make it 2-0. Senior Gianni Ross followed with a 6-1, 6-0 win on court five. Woodall clinched the victory with a 6-0, 6-3 win on court six. 

Virginia versus Stanford

The Cavaliers followed Saturday’s win with another impressive performance against No. 21 ranked Stanford, winning 4-2 at Boar’s Head Resort. It was a close match throughout as the Cardinals (11-6, 6-1 PAC 12) got the doubles point early with wins on courts two and three.

In singles, Virginia capitalized early with three straight match wins to make the score 3-1. Junior Ryan Goetz got the first point for the Cavaliers with a win on court 5 against senior Timothy Sah 6-1, 6-3. Montes followed with a 6-4, 6-4 win against junior Alex Rotsaert, while Ross won 7-6, 6-2 on court six against sophomore Neel Rajesh. 

Stanford kept the match close with a win on court two as Arthur Fery defeated Schulenburg in three sets. Freshman Chris Rodesch clinched the victory for the Cavaliers on court three with a close third set win against freshman Tristan Boyer.

This will mark the Cavaliers’ 15th trip to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 in the last 16 seasons. With confidence and an impressive win streak, the Cavaliers find themselves on the hunt for their fifth NCAA title, having won four of five from 2013 to 2017 with former head coach Brian Boland at the helm.

Virginia will advance to Orlando, Fla. where the USTA National Campus will be hosting the final four rounds of this year's tournament. The men’s Round of 16 will take place  Monday, May 17 with the Cavaliers slated to face the University of Southern California at 4 p.m.

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