Virginia left the ITA All-American Championship at the Michael Case Tennis Center with an NCAA Singles Championship bid secured and plenty of momentum to carry into October. Headlined by third-year Keegan Rice’s run to the tournament final, first-year Luca Preda’s performance in the consolation draw and the doubles pairing of second-year Andres Santamarta Roig and third-year Jangjun Kim, the Cavaliers showed promise as they head deeper into their fall campaign.
A year ago, Rice arrived in Tulsa, OK, ranked No. 98 in the country and left after the consolation Round of 32, failing in straight sets 7-6, 6-0 to Kentucky’s then-sophomore Eli Stephenson. This time around, the third-year came in as the tournament’s No. 2 seed and national No. 6. He played like it for five straight matches, marching to the final of the ITA All-American Championship before falling 6-3, 6-1 to TCU junior Roger Pascual Sunday. Rice was nothing short of ruthless on his way to the final. He opened Wednesday with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Dayton senior Kyle McNally, then dispatched Oklahoma senior Asahi Harazaki 6-2, 6-1 Thursday.
With an NCAA berth on the line in Friday’s Round of 16, Rice put together his most dominant performance of the week, surrendering just a single game to Mississippi State junior Bryan Hernandez Cortes in a 6-0, 6-1 rout that clinched his spot in Athens. Later that day, he tore through Ohio State junior Nikita Filin 6-3, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.
Wake Forest sophomore Dominic Mosejczuk gave Rice his stiffest test in Saturday’s semifinal. After taking the opening set 6-3, Rice was pushed deeper in the second but held firm to close it out 6-4 and book his place in the final.
In the final, however, Rice ran into a player every bit as hot as he was. Pascual, a wild card ranked No. 80, had also not dropped a set all tournament. He came into the fall having ended last season on a 13-match winning streak, then won three ITF Futures titles over the summer. The Horned Frog carried that form on Sunday, taking the first set 6-3 before pulling away in the second 6-1 to claim the title. Pascual’s run also went through Virginia at the start of the week as he knocked out Preda 6-2, 7-6 (3) in the opening round.
Preda nearly joined Rice in Athens. The first-year had to come through qualifying just to reach the main draw, defeating UC Berkeley sophomore Paris Pouatcha 6-0, 6-3 and rallying past No. 17 seed junior Albert Pedrico of TCU 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 to earn his spot. After falling to Pascual in the opening round of the main draw, Preda dropped into the consolation bracket and proceeded to rattle off five consecutive wins. He defeated Harvard sophomore Rohan Murali, Ohio State senior Bryce Nakashima, and advanced via walkover twice before defeating Clemson freshman Noa Vukadin 6-4, 6-4 in the consolation quarterfinals. In the consolation final, with an NCAA Singles Championship invitation on the line, he faced Baylor senior Connor Van Schalkwyk and came up just short, falling 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-3.
Santamarta Roig opened his main draw campaign Wednesday against Texas junior Oliver Ojakaar. Santamarta Roig took the first set 6-4 before Ojakaar retired, sending the Cavalier through to the Round of 32. There, he met Cornell junior, Rodrigo Fernandes, the tournament's No. 11 seed, in what proved to be his toughest test of the week. Fernandes claimed the opening set 6-4 and looked poised to close it out. Santamarta Roig refused to go quietly, dragging the second set to a tiebreak and edging it 10-8 to force a decider. In the third, however, Fernandes pulled away to take it 6-2 and end Santamarta Roig's main draw run. The loss dropped him into the singles backdraw, where N.C. State senior Jules Leroux handed him a 6-3, 6-3 defeat Friday to close out his singles week.
Even so, Santamarta Roig demonstrated real growth in his game, specifically an improved serve and backhand as well a clear effort to stay focused throughout the entire match. It is clear that his forehand has become a weapon he has leaned on more and more, accelerating through the ball allowing him to dictate and win many points.
In doubles, Santamarta Roig and Kim found their rhythm after a troubling start. The pair fell in the main draw Round of 32 to San Diego redshirt senior Lambert Ruland and junior Adrien Berrut, 6-3, 6-7, 10-8. In the consolation draw, the Cavalier duo responded with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Ohio State senior Alex Okonkwo and junior Matthew Forbes. They then advanced past Kentucky Stephenson and junior Jack Loutit via walkover. Saturday morning brought a consolation semifinal against Clemson freshman Matisse Farzam and senior Tiago Pires, with the consolation champion earning a place at the NCAA Doubles Championship. Santamarta Roig and Kim took the first set 7-5, but the Tigers stormed back to take the second 6-1. They then edged a back-and-forth match tiebreak 10-8, ending the Virginia pair's run.
While their week has come to a close, Virginia's overall campaign in Tulsa showed encouraging signs. Rice and the Cavaliers now look ahead to the ITA Regional Championships Oct. 8-12, where Virginia’s remaining players will have another chance to qualify for Athens.
Read More
Virginia starts ACC play 1-1, dropping match to Georgia Tech in straight sets
By Cierra Lyles | 9 hours agoOn Sunday afternoon, the Cavaliers were taken down in three straight sets by the Yellow Jackets (10-3, 2-0 ACC), losing the first and second sets 25-19, and the third set 25-16.
HUFFMAN: The Protect College Sports Act covers too much ground
By Emory Huffman | YesterdayThough the bill is undoubtedly ambitious and the status quo is unsustainable, the Protect College Sports Act is not the answer.
Virginia swim and dive returns, unphased and unbeaten in the first meet of the season
By Lauren Halak | YesterdayWomen's swim and dive kept at their blistering pace of success with a victory, while the men showed signs of progress as well with their combined first place finish.
