OU Tennis Loses To USC In National Championship

The Oklahoma Sooner men's tennis team wrapped up the best season in program history with a loss in the national championship to USC.

Tuesday, May 20th 2014, 11:05 pm

By: News 9


The OU men's tennis team did something no team before them had ever done.

They didn't walk away with a title, but they walked away with the best finish in program history.

The Sooners (28-4) came out strong but were ultimately topped by the USC Trojans (32-3) in a close 4-2 match.

"USC played a tremendous match," OU coach John Roddick said. "We played well and we had chances. I think we played some of the best doubles that's been played this year."

This was the first time in program history that the Sooners were in the championship match. Before this year, the best finish was an Elite Eight appearance in 2010 when host Georgia knocked out Oklahoma.

Alex Ghilea and Nick Papac went all the way to a tiebreaker on court three as USC held serve and tied the match at 7-all. The pair won the tiebreaker in dominating fashion, allowing USC to only score two points as OU took an 8-7 (2) win on court three.

After getting a break early on, senior Guillermo Alcorta and freshman Andrew Harris ran away with the match on court two. The duo topped Connor Farren and Roberto Quiroz 8-5 to clinch the doubles point for the Sooners.

Singles was a battle as USC took four first sets and Oklahoma took two. Dane Webb put the Sooners up 2-0 with an easy 6-1, 6-2 win on court three. This win would land him a spot on the All-Tournament team for No. 3 singles.

"I was a little nervous in the first game but after that I really got it rolling," Webb said. "This is probably one of the best matches I've played all year long."

USC cut into the Sooners lead as Alcorta fell 7-5, 6-2 at the premier spot. The Trojans then tied the match as Alvarez fell 6-4, 7-6 (4) on court two.

The fate of the Sooners title hope lied in the hands of the back three courts where Harris, Ghilea and Austin Siegel were battling to keep the Sooners alive.

Siegel fought hard to try and force a third set, but the comeback fell short as he fell 6-1, 7-6(2). With Harris down 2-1 in his third set and Ghilea battling to force a third, the match would come down to the wire.

The Sooners fight would end just short as Harris fell in his final set. The freshman tied the match at 4-all but it wasn't enough as USC got a break and held serve to win it all.

The OU men finished the season with a program best 28-4 record. Roddick was named the ITA National Coach of the Year and has taken the team farther than anyone else.

Four Sooners will have the chance to continue playing as the singles and doubles competitions are slated to begin tomorrow. Alcorta, Alvarez, Harris and Webb will all represent OU in the singles bracket while Webb and Harris will team up for doubles.

 

Doubles (Order of finish: 3,2)

1. #1 Yannick Hanfmann/Ray Sarmiento (USC) vs. Axel Alvarez/Dane Webb (OKLAHOMA) 5-6, unf.

2. Guillermo Alcorta/Andrew Harris (OKLAHOMA) def. Connor Farren/Roberto Quiroz (USC), 8-5

3. Alex Ghilea/Nick Papac (OKLAHOMA) def. Max de Vroome/Eric Johnson (USC), 8-7(2)

 

Singles (Order of finish: 3,1,2,5,4)

1. #10 Yannick Hanfmann (USC) def. #5 Guillermo Alcorta (OKLAHOMA), 7-5, 6-2

2. #9 Ray Sarmiento (USC) def. #7 Axel Alvarez (OKLAHOMA), 6-4, 7-6(4)

3. #41 Dane Webb (OKLAHOMA) def. #42 Roberto Quiroz (USC), 6-1, 6-2

4. #91 Max de Vroome (USC) def. #53 Andrew Harris (OKLAHOMA), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

5. Eric Johnson (USC) def. Austin Siegel (OKLAHOMA), 6-1, 7-6(2)

6. Michael Grant (USC) vs. Alex Ghilea (OKLAHOMA), 7-6(5), 2-6, 4-2, unf.

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