The Cavalier Daily
Serving the University Community Since 1890

Men’s tennis notches out of conference victory

<p>Senior Thai-Son Kwiatkowski knows that midseason will help his team grow stronger as Virginia prepares for two&nbsp;big weekend matchups.</p>

Senior Thai-Son Kwiatkowski knows that midseason will help his team grow stronger as Virginia prepares for two big weekend matchups.

The No. 3 Virginia men's tennis team (18-3, 7-1 ACC) travelled to Gainesville, Fla. yesterday to take on No. 14 Florida (12-5, 7-1 SEC) at the Ring Tennis Complex. While not an ACC match, this was an opportunity for the Cavaliers to test themselves against some quality competition. The Cavaliers passed their test by notching a 5-2 victory.

The match started poorly for the Cavaliers, as they lost the doubles points due to a pair of 6-4 losses at No. 1 and No. 3.

The Cavaliers responded during singles play by winning four straight matches to clinch the victory. The first victory was junior Thai-son Kwiatkowski and his 6-2, 6-4 win over Florida junior Elliott Orkin at the No. 2 spot, which Kwiatkowski returned to after sophomore Collin Altamirano has manned it for much of the season. Altamirano also won his match at No. 3 against Florida freshman Alfredo Perez 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the final match of the day.

Senior captain Ryan Shane suffered a disappointing 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 defeat to Florida senior Diego Hidalgo in a hard fought match. This match did take place after the match had already been decided, however. It was sophomore Henrik Wiersholm’s tight 7-5, 7-5 victory over Florida senior Gordon Watson that clinched the match for the Cavaliers, marking their 18th win of the season.

The Cavaliers will be pleased with their performance on the week, but must remain prepared, as they are set to take on Georgia Tech Friday and Clemson Sunday, both games away from home.

Comments

Latest Podcast

From her love of Taylor Swift to a late-night Yik Yak post, Olivia Beam describes how Swifties at U.Va. was born. In this week's episode, Olivia details the thin line Swifties at U.Va. successfully walk to share their love of Taylor Swift while also fostering an inclusive and welcoming community.