KERRVILLE, Texas — The No. 23-ranked Southwestern men's tennis team took two doubles matches against the No. 8-ranked Trinity to tiebreakers but ultimately dropped both in a 5-0 loss in the championship game match against the defending champion Tigers.
Trinity All-American doubles team Hao Nguyen and Christian Settles opened the match with a quick 8-2 win over Vesko Lekovic and Hemanshu Rambojun at No. 1 doubles.
Southwestern took early leads in No. 2 and 3 doubles, but Trinity stormed back to force tiebreakers in each match. Wilson Hamilton and Cameron Goldstein defeated Hunter Bajoit and Steven Tibbetts 7-5 in the tiebreaker to win No. 2 doubles, and Cameron Krimbill and Alessio Azzalini took the 7-4 tiebreaker over Oscar Roy and Carlos Esteban Rodero at No. 3 to complete the doubles sweep.
Settles, the No. 40-ranked singles player in Division III, opened singles with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Anton Borovik in No. 4 singles. Then, Eric Liao defeated Travis Rafferty 6-1, 6-2 to clinch the championship for Trinity.
Southwestern falls to 15-7. The NCAA will announce its team tournament field on Monday, May 9, and its individual qualifiers on Wednesday, May 11.
#8 TRINITY UNIVERSITY 5, #23 SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 0
May 1, 2022, at Kerrville, Texas (George & Frances Cree Tennis Center)
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Singles competition |
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1. #7 Cameron Krimbill (TU) vs. #25 Hunter Bajoit (SU) 6-2, 5-5, unfinished |
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2. #29 Hao Nguyen (TU) vs. Steven Tibbetts (SU) 6-2, 4-3, unfinished |
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3. #30 Alessio Azzalini (TU) vs. Vesko Lekovic (SU) 6-4, 4-1, unfinished |
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4. #40 Christian Settles (TU) def. Anton Borovik (SU) 6-2, 6-0 |
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5. Wilson Hamilton (TU) vs. Oscar Roy (SU) 6-1, 4-2, unfinished |
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6. Eric Liao (TU) def. Travis Rafferty (SU) 6-1, 6-2 |
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Doubles competition |
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1. #2 Christian Settles/Hao Nguyen (TU) def. Vesko Lekovic/Hemanshu Rambojun (SU) 8-2 |
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2. Wilson Hamilton/Cameron Goldstein (TU) def. Hunter Bajoit/Steven Tibbetts (SU) 8-7 (7-5) |
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3. Cameron Krimbill/Alessio Azzalini (TU) def. Oscar Roy/Carlos Rodero (SU) 8-7 (7-4) |
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Match Notes |
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Southwestern University 15-7; National ranking #23; Regional ranking #6 |
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Trinity University 15-6; National ranking #8; Regional ranking #2 |
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Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (4,6) |
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T-2:15 A-184 |
