SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The No. 64 men's tennis team turned in a tremendous performance on Friday, stepping up its game to earn a 4-2 win over No. 39 Oregon. The Broncos played outstanding tennis and had terrific energy throughout the match in taking down a competitive Ducks squad. At No. 39 in the country, Oregon becomes the highest-ranked team that Santa Clara has defeated this season.
"I thought we played really good, focused doubles especially at number one and two," said Bronco head coach Derek Mills. "Oregon is known for their very good doubles, and our wins on courts one and two were very impressive."
"In singles, we did an awesome job of fighting. Ashot won in straight sets. Ilya came through, stuck with it, and kept battling. John had the clincher at number one. He dominated the first set, dropped the second, and dominated the third set, showing great senior leadership."
In its next match, the Broncos will travel to Portland this weekend to take on the Pilots. The match is scheduled for Sun., Apr. 13 at 9:30am.
With the win, Santa Clara improves to 13-5 and remains 3-3 in the WCC. The team is 10-2 at home, 2-3 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites.
Despite Oregon's strong doubles play and impressive 14-5 doubles record this season, the Broncos got on the board first. In the top doubles spot, John Lamble and Ilya Osintsev trounced their opponents, 8-2. The duo notched their third win in a row and now have a 13-1 dual match record, all in the No. 1 position.
The righty-lefty tandem has won 19 of 21 matches including fall play, and is 18-1 in its last 19 dual matches dating back to the end of last season. Lamble and Osintsev have 35 total victories across their Santa Clara doubles career together, which is the second-most victories by one team in program history.
Oregon grabbed the No. 3 doubles match, but Santa Clara's No. 2 doubles team of Ashot Khacharyan and Mikheil Khmiadashvili came through with a clutch victory. The underclassman duo knocked off their Oregon opponents, 8-6, to clinch the doubles point for the Broncos.
With the important doubles point locked up, Santa Clara went to work in singles and kept up its phenomenal effort. Khacharyan won in a straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 3 for his third straight win. The sophomore from Sochi, Russia has 11 dual match victories and is 13-5 overall.
Osintsev earned an enormous win over a highly-ranked opponent at No. 2. The lefty defeated Robin Cambier, ranked No. 59 in the country, in straight sets, 7-5, 7-6. Osintsev is an exceptional 11-1 during the regular season and 14-2 including the fall.
With one point to go, Santa Clara senior Lamble sealed the deal. The righty jumped out to a scorching start, rolling through the first set in a 6-1 final. After dropping the second set, 6-2, he showed admirable resolve and was able to rebound, dominating the third set, 6-1.
Lamble improved to 10-1 in duals and 17-4 including the fall. He upped his career mark to 77-35 overall, which gives him the second-most wins in program history.
Khmiadashvili was locked in a three set showdown when the match was decided, so his match did not finish. Oregon won No. 5 singles 6-1, 6-2 and No. 6 singles 6-3, 6-0.
Check back on SantaClaraBroncos.com for more on next weekend's match as the Broncos look to move up the WCC standings and national rankings. Stay up to date with Santa Clara men's tennis on Facebook and Twitter @SCUmtennis. Go Broncos!
|
Position |
Santa Clara University |
University of Oregon |
Winner |
Score |
|
#1 Singles |
Santa Clara University |
6-1, 2-6, 6-1 |
||
|
#2 Singles |
#59 Robin Cambier |
Santa Clara University |
7-5, 7-6 |
|
|
#3 Singles |
Santa Clara University |
6-4, 6-4 |
||
|
#4 Singles |
Unfinished |
3-6, 7-6, 1-2 |
||
|
#5 Singles |
University of Oregon |
6-1, 6-2 |
||
|
#6 Singles |
University of Oregon |
6-3, 6-0 |
||
|
#1 Doubles |
Santa Clara University |
8-2 |
||
|
#2 Doubles |
Santa Clara University |
8-6 |
||
|
#3 Doubles |
University of Oregon |
8-0 |