Playtime is officially over. The Virginia men's tennis team had a strong showing last weekend at the U.Va. Plus One Invitational, nabbing two singles titles and a doubles title on its home court. This weekend, the Cavaliers will travel to Tulsa, Okla. for the ITA All-American Tournament.
"The All-American is one of the 'grand slams' of college tennis," coach Brian Boland said. "It provides the players with the chance to play the best players in the nation."
The Cavaliers' recent performances show that they are up to the challenge. Juniors Sanam Singh and Michael Shabaz each captured a singles title last weekend and are nationally ranked No. 9 and No. 14, respectively.
"We played in the U.Va. Plus One Invitational tournament to get matches against some top guys to stay sharp," Shabaz said.
Although Virginia has been ranked in the national top 10 since April 2006, it has never won an individual title at the ITA All-American Tournament, Boland said. Even former Cavalier tennis great Somdev Devvarman never managed the elusive feat. His only loss during the 2007-08 season's 45 matches, during which he was the No. 1 college tennis player in the nation, came during the ITA tournament's semifinals.
With two players ranked in the nation's top 15, however, the Cavaliers certainly have a chance. Last year's tournament saw the top-ranked player, Oklahoma State's Oleksandr Nedovyesov, defeated in the finals by LSU's Michael Venus, who was then ranked No. 20. Singh or Shabaz pulling off a similar upset is not out of the question, especially after the valuable experience they gained last year.
"I made the quarterfinals last year, so I know what it takes to advance through the tournament," Shabaz said.
Shabaz advanced further than any other Cavalier last year, winning six matches before losing in the quarterfinals in three sets. He hopes to improve on his past performance, but said he does not feel pressure to be crowned Virginia's first individual ITA champion.
"You can't go in there looking to win [the whole tournament]," Shabaz said. "You just have to take it one match at a time and one point at a time and then see what happens."
The team's goals, meanwhile, extend beyond simply earning individual titles, Boland said.
"Our goal is to play as many matches as we can and get better as a team," he said. "We're ahead of schedule, but we still have a lot of work to do in doubles."
Two doubles teams will enter the tournament: Singh will play with senior Houston Barrick, and Shabaz will team up with freshman and top recruit Jarmere Jenkins. Singh and Barrick rank as the fourth-best doubles team in the nation, and Shabaz and Jenkins secured Virginia's lone doubles title at last weekend's tournament despite playing together for the first time. Both teams hope to challenge the top competitors in the main draw round of the tournament.
The main draw, in both singles and doubles, will begin next Thursday. Singh and Shabaz will automatically be entered in this round of the singles tournament, while Barrick, Jenkins, senior Lee Singer and sophomore Drew Courtney will try to play their way in via the qualifying rounds, which begin Monday. Senior Milo Johnson, a Tulsa native, and sophomore Santiago Villegas will round out the eight Cavaliers attending the tournament and will compete in the pre-qualifying rounds Saturday.
Read More
No. 6 women’s lacrosse gets revenge on No. 14 North Carolina
By Matthew Ryeom | 18 hours agoThe Cavaliers' big third quarter propelled them to a key victory over the Tar Heels.
Virginia softball drops road rematch against Virginia Tech
By Emory Huffman | YesterdayAs Virginia moves through the final week of the regular season, it is certainly critical that its pitching staff maintains the same dominance they have shown throughout the season.
Haunted by 2023 defeat, Virginia gets Notre Dame rematch
By Michael Liebermann | YesterdayAgainst a bitter rival, Virginia has an opportunity to forge a victorious new chapter in lacrosse history.
