Posted: Jan 25, 2020
UPDATED (at 4:25 p.m. PT, Jan. 25): Santa Clara will face No. 3 USC on Sunday as the Trojans defeated UNC-Wilmington 4-0.
LOS ANGELES – Freshman Nick Cmager delivered a clutch performance on the big stage with a three-set comeback clincher to lift Santa Clara men's tennis to a 4-3 win over UC Santa Barbara in the opening match of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Regionals on Saturday.
Playing on court six, Cmager fell behind Wilhelm Saiga, losing the first set before bouncing back to even the match at one set apiece 0-6, 7-6(6). Meanwhile UCSB had evened the team score at 3-all when Alejandro Vedri beat Vasileios Iliopoulos 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 on court three.
In the deciding third set, Cmager took care of business winning 6-4 to help Santa Clara (1-2) pick up the first victory of the season and an opportunity to play either USC or UNC-Wilmington, who play later in the day. Santa Clara's match on Sunday against the winner of the USC versus UNC-Wilmington will decide who advances out of the four-team event qualifying for the Oracle ITA National Indoor Team Championship.
The match was a back and forth battle as the Broncos got on the scoreboard first when Iliopoulos and Arthur Neuhaus, the No. 52 ranked tandem in the nation, secured the doubles point with a 7-6 (8-6) win over Victor Krustev and Joseph Rotheram on court one.
Earlier, Jesus Tapiador Barajas and Santiago Hinojosa defeated Alex Soto and Luka Vukmanovic 6-4 on court three to give the Broncos a leg up in doubles action before the Gauchos evened things up behind Joseph Guillin and Vedri's win over Cmager and Mann Shah 6-4.
In singles action, Guillin evened the match at 1-all when he notched a 6-2, 6-2 win over Neuhaus on court one.
Hinojosa put the Broncos up 2-1 with his win on court five over Soto, 6-2, 6-2 before Krustev leveled it at 2-all on court two over Tapiador Barajas 6-2, 7-5.
Santa Clara went up 3-2 when Shah beat Rotheram 6-3, 7-6(5) on court four followed by Vedri's win to even the match, setting up the stage for Cmager.
The Broncos will next play at 1 p.m. PT on Sunday.
BIG TIME! Frosh Nick Cmager with a three-set match clincher to lift #SCUBroncos over UC Santa Barbara, 4-3, in the opening match of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend ❗ #Stampedetogether pic.twitter.com/fQZK0QeokR
— Santa Clara Men's Tennis (@SCUMTennis) January 25, 2020