SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The No. 64 Bronco men's tennis team split a pair of WCC matches last weekend, and looks to move up the rankings with a win in a competitive non-conference match on Wednesday. The Broncos will host No. 39 Oregon on Wed., Apr. 9 at 3pm.
Santa Clara has a 12-5 record and is 3-3 in WCC contests. The team is 9-2 at home, 2-3 on the road, and 1-0 at neutral sites.
The Broncos
Last weekend, Santa Clara split its first home conference matches. The Broncos defeated BYU, 6-1, in a convincing victory on Saturday, and fell to No. 55 USD, 4-0, on Friday.
Against BYU, Santa Clara got back to its winning ways with an excellent all-around effort. The Broncos received contributions from every member of the team and beat the Cougars soundly.
In doubles, John Lamble and Ilya Osintsev took down their opponents, 8-5, to boost their record to an impressive 12-1. The righty-lefty duo has won 18 of 20 matches including fall play, and is 17-1 in its last 18 dual matches dating back to last season. They have racked up 34 total victories together which is the second-most in program history.
Sam Bertram and Michael Tjuatjadarma showed good chemistry in their fourth match together, and they came through with a solid 8-4 victory at No. 3 to clinch the doubles point. The first-year Broncos, both junior transfers, are 2-0 together.
In singles, Santa Clara kept the heat up on BYU, winning five of six individual matches. Lamble dominated the No. 122 player in the country, romping to a 6-1, 6-1 win. The Saratoga, Calif. native is 9-1 during the regular season and 16-4 including the fall. For his career, the senior has a phenomenal 76-35 mark, and with Saturday's win he moved into sole possession of second-most wins in program history, breaking a tie with Francisco Zepponi.
Osintsev took home a solid 6-3, 6-3 win for his 10th win of the season. The junior's overall record is 13-2 and he is 10-1 in dual matches.
Fellow Russian Ashot Khacharyan pulled out a win in three sets, prevailing 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (4). It was the sophomore's 10th dual victory of the season (12-5 overall).
Mikheil Khmiadashvili, one of two freshman on the team, wasted no time cleaning up at No. 4, rolling to a 6-0, 6-2 victory. The lefty picked up his 10th dual win of the season as well.
Bertram took down his opponent in a hard-fought match. The Aussie came out on top in a 7-5, 7-6 (10) battle for his 7th dual match win and 10th overall victory.
At No. 6, Michael Tjuatjadarma fell 6-2, 6-2 in his third singles match, and his record is 1-2.
On Friday, the Toreros defeated the Broncos, 4-0, in a rain-delayed match. The teams started off with singles due to the weather, and San Diego struck first with a 6-2, 6-2 win in the fifth position. The rest of the matches were tightly contested, but the Toreros were able to take No. 2 singles in three sets and No. 4 and No. 6 singles in competitive two-set finals.
Oregon
The University of Oregon Ducks are 15-4 overall and are ranked No. 39 in the most recent ITA poll. In its last match, Oregon beat Arizona, 4-1, to break a three-match skid. The Ducks had fallen to No. 1 USC (6-1), No. 5 UCLA (4-0), and had been upset by No. 58 Utah (4-2). Prior to the losing streak, the Ducks had reeled off 11 consecutive wins.
Robin Cambier leads Oregon at No. 1 singles and doubles. Cambier is the winningest player in Oregon history, and he won both of his matches against No. 58 Utah on Senior Day last week. The Brussels, Belgium, native is 19-4 in doubles and has a team-best 21-5 singles record in 2014.
Cambier, currently ranked No. 103 nationally, earned one of the biggest individual wins ever by an Oregon player when he defeated No. 3 Ray Sarmiento from top-ranked USC, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Mar. 28.
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Check back on SantaClaraBroncos.com for more on the matchup with No. 27 Oregon. Stay up to date with Santa Clara men's tennis on Facebook and Twitter @SCUmtennis. Go Broncos!
