Against some of the country's premier competition, the men's tennis team captured three titles Sunday afternoon, defending its turf at the U.Va. Plus One Invitational.
In the A-2 bracket, junior Sanam Singh defeated Tennessee freshman Rhyne Williams, 6-4, 6-4, for the title. Coming off a difficult three-set match in the morning against Nebraska sophomore Christopher Aumueller, Singh managed to jump out quickly against Williams, easing to a first set victory and a 5-1 advantage in the second. Fatigue may have caught up to Singh shortly thereafter, however, as Williams rallied to take three straight games.
"He was a good player, so I knew it was going to be tough," Singh said. "I played a couple of loose points but managed to come back, so I feel good about that. I mentally stayed in there."
The scare was short-lived though, as Singh rebounded to win the final game. The junior used his speed and ability to place the ball all over the court to his advantage, causing the young Williams to grow more and more frustrated as the match wore on, eventually throwing his racket and drawing a point penalty.
Virginia junior Michael Shabaz followed teammate Singh's example, as he defeated Boris Conkic in the A-4 bracket after the Tennessee junior was forced to retire following a split of the first two sets. Conkic won the first set but dealt with cramps the entire day and constantly called for ice from the trainer. He eventually succumbed to the pain and withdrew.
"Michael's fitness paid off for him today," Virginia coach Brian Boland said. "He was a little bit stronger physically today."
The premature ending belied what had been a very competitive match. The seemingly even opponents played the first two sets to a draw, and things were shaping up for a climatic third set.
"He [Conkic] played some good serves in the first set," Shabaz said. "[I] won some baselines in the second set, and unfortunately for him, he had to default, but that's just part of the game."
Drew Courtney was the third Cavalier of the day to play in a final, but unlike Singh and Shabaz, he was swept 6-4, 6-3 by Duke freshman Henrique Cunha. Although Courtney played a solid match, he appeared slightly conservative, and the lefty from Duke capitalized.
Despite the loss, Boland had nothing but praise for his team's performance in the tournament.
"It was a great tournament against some of the top players in the country," said Boland. "We're getting better in the week and we were able to put into match play what we put in at practice."
The lone area of concern for the Cavaliers' coach was the performance of his doubles teams. The team of Shabaz and freshman Jarmere Jenkins won the A-3 doubles, but the team of Courtney and senior Lee Singer lost in the championship draw.
"We need to work on doubles," Boland said. "We can do it, but it's going to take some work. We have Tulsa in a week, which gives us a chance to work on the doubles."
Despite this minor disappointment, Boland was pleased with the team's overall performance, as it continues to add to an already successful season.
Virginia takes the court next week at the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla.
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