Feb. 2, 2013

TUCSON -

The Arizona Wildcat men’s tennis team remains undefeated as they clinch a 4-0 win over the St. Mary’s Gaels at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center. The Cats claimed the doubles point and went on to win three singles matches when the match was called.

In doubles play, the Cats earned wins on courts one and three.

Finishing first was the team of Giacomo Miccini and Mario Urquidi on court three. The junior duo took on Sief El Sherbini and Thomas Alexander Hunt. Miccini and Urquidi clinched the first two games but El Sherbini and Hunt fought back to tie the match at two. Miccini and Urquidi answered with the next two games before El Sherbini and Hunt earned another win. The Arizona team claimed the next two games to bring the match to 6-2. El Sherbini and Hunt won the next game but Miccini and Urquidi answered with the next win. El Sherbini and Hunt earned one more win before Miccini and Urquidi clinched the match, 8-4.

On court two, Kieren Thompson and Sumeet Shinde teamed up to take on Touman Manner and Samuel Bloore. The Wildcat duo fell behind, 3-0 before earning a win. Manner and Bloore claimed three more wins before Thompson and Shinde won two in a row. With the match at 6-3 in favor in favor of the Gaels Manner and Bloore claimed another win. Thompson and Shinde won one more game before Manner and Bloore clinched the match, 8-4. The match marked the first and only loss for Arizona in two days of play.

Finishing last was the team of Fredrik Ask and Noaki Takeda wo played Joakim Nostrom and Jesse Kiuru on court three. Ask and Takeda claimed the first game but fell behind when Kiuru and Nostrom won the next two. The Arizona team earned the next win to tie the match and the teams began a battle of ties. The Cats fell behind but continued to battle back and tie the match at 3, 4, 5, and 6 games all. Ask and Takeda won the next two games to clinch the match, 8-6. The win marked the second for the Wildcats and the doubles point went to Arizona.

In singles action, the Cats claimed three wins and with the match clinched, called the matches in progress on courts one, two and four.

Finishing first was Miccini on court three. The junior from Recanati, Italy held Nostrom to only two wins in two sets. In the first set, Miccini took the early 3-0 lead before Nostrom clinched a game. Miccini claimed the next three games to win the set, 6-1. In the second set, Miccini claimed the first game but Nostrom answered with a win. Miccini dominated the remaining games to clinch and the match, 6-1.

On court five, Takeda was next to finish in his match against Bloore. Takeda, a freshman from Osoka, Japan, fell behind 1-0 but battled his way back. The two traded wins to bring the set to 3-2 in Takeda’s favor before he won two straight to clinch the set, 6-2. In the second set, Takeda earned the first game and the two swapped wins to bring the set to 2-1 in his favor. Takeda claimed the next win but Bloore answered with the next three to bring the set to 4-3. Behind one game, Takeda clinched two straight to win the set and the match, 6-4.

Finishing third was Shinde on court six. Shinde dominated the first set, edging Hunt 6-0. In the second set, Shinde won the first game but fell behind when Hunt claimed the next two. Shinde answered with the next two wins to reclaim the lead at 4-2. Hunt earned one more game before Shinde clicnhed two straight to win the set, 6-3. The win marked the fourth point for the Wildcats and clinched the match in their favor.

With the win Arizona improves to 5-0 while St. Mary’s falls to 2-3.

The Cats will be back in action on Sat. Feb. 9 as they take their first road trip of the season. The team will travel to San Diego, Calif. to play the San Diego Toreros.

Complete Results
Arizona, 4 def. St. Mary’s, 0
LaNelle Robson Tennis Center
Feb. 2, 2013

Doubles:
1. Ask/Takeda (UA) def. Norstrom/Kiuru (SMC), 8-6
2. Manner/Bloore (SMC) def. Shinde/Thompson (UA), 8-4
3. Urquidi/Miccini (UA) def. El Sherbini/Hunt (SMCU, 8-4
Order of finish: 3,2,1*
*Clinch doubles point

Singles:
1. Fredrik Ask (UA) v. Jess Kiuru (SMC), 3-6, 1-4 DNF
2. Andre Vidaller (UA) v. Tuomas Manner (SMC), 7-5, 1-1 DNF
3. Giacomo Miccini (UA) def. Joakim Norstrom (SMC), 6-1, 6-1
4. Kieren Thompson (UA) v. Sief El Sherbini (SMC), 6-4, 3-4 DNF
5. Naoki Takeda (UA) def. Samuel Bloore (SMC), 6-2, 6-4
6. Sumeet Shinde (UA) def. Thomas Alexander Hunt (SMC), 6-0, 6-3
Order of finish: 3,5,6*
*Clinch match