Friday, April 19
Eugene, OR
2:00 PM
University of Oregon
3
vs
4
Stanford
Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Drama Ends in Heartbreak For UO
04/19/19 | Men's Tennis
Down 3-1, Oregon nearly completed an epic comeback before falling 4-3 to No. 12 Stanford on Friday.
EUGENE, Ore. — Only a few points away from clinching an epic comeback victory over No. 12 Stanford, the Oregon men's tennis team instead had to swallow a crushing 4-3 defeat Friday at the outdoor courts on campus.
Down 3-1 in the match, the Ducks fought to a third set in each of the remaining, must-win matches. Charles Roberts won at No. 6 singles Oregon, and then Joshua Charlton did the same at No. 5 singles to tie the match, leaving the team score to be decided by the outcome at No. 1 singles.
UO all-time wins leader Thomas Laurent, returning from a five-match absence, dropped the first set but won the second in a tiebreaker, and was a point away from going up 5-0 in the third. But Stanford's Axel Geller fought back within 5-4, at which point Laurent needed assistance from Oregon's athletic trainer. Geller went on to win the third set, clinching the match for Stanford.
"We played great," UO coach Nils Shyllander said. "There's nothing else really to say. We played great and fell about a quarter of an inch short."
How It Happened: In the early going of the match, only Ricky Oshima's win over Sameer Kumar at No. 4 singles gave the Ducks much to like. Stanford had won at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to clinch the first team point of the match, and the Cardinal also recorded straight-sets wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles.
Charlton and Roberts each won his first set but dropped the second. Laurent lost his first set and was in a tiebreak for the second set, with the score at 5-5, when he was at the net and had Geller loft a shot over his head. Had Geller earned the point, he would have needed just one more to win the set, and the match for Stanford. But Laurent turned his back to the net, ran back toward the baseline and hit a no-look winner between his legs, seizing momentum.
"He was playing great until — I don't know exactly what happened — until he stiffened up," Shyllander said.
Having Laurent try to fight through at less than 100 percent robbed the Ducks of what was nearly an epic comeback. Roberts took early command of his third set on the way to a win, and Charlton also overcome the loss of his second set to come back and win the third.
What It Means: The loss was the seventh straight for the Oregon men, but the first in several weeks in which they had a full complement of healthy players — until, that is, the closing points of Laurent's match Friday.
"We know that's what we are when we're a complete lineup," Schyllander said. "Now we'll see for tomorrow who can go and who can't."
Up Next: The Ducks will honor their three-player senior class in conjunction with the final home match of the season Saturday, against No. 35 California at 1 p.m.
#12 Stanford 4, #45 Oregon 3
Friday, April 19, 2019
Eugene, Ore.
Doubles
1. Sameer Kumar/Timothy Sah (STAN) def. Joshua Charlton/Ty Gentry (ORE) — 6-4
2. Riki Oshima/Charles Roberts (ORE) vs. Jack Barber/Axel Geller (STAN) — 5-4 [unfinished]
3. Alexandre Rotsaert/Sangeet Sridhar (STAN) def. Emmanuel Coste/Armando Soemarno (ORE) — 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1
Singles
1. No. 13 Axel Geller (STAN) def. No. 12 Thomas Laurent (ORE) — 6-4, 6-7(7-5), 7-6(7-4)
2. No. 51 Alexandre Rotsaert (STAN) def. Emmanuel Coste (ORE) — 6-3, 6-4
3. No. 113 William Genesen (STAN) def. Ty Gentry (ORE) — 6-1, 7-5
4. Riki Oshima (ORE) def. No. 114 Sameer Kumar (STAN) — 6-4, 6-1
5. Joshua Charlton (ORE) def. Timothy Sah (STAN) — 7-6(7-3), 5-7, 6-4
6. Charles Roberts (ORE) def. Sangeet Sridhar (STAN) — 6-2, 6-7(9-7), 6-3
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 3, 6, 5, 1
Down 3-1 in the match, the Ducks fought to a third set in each of the remaining, must-win matches. Charles Roberts won at No. 6 singles Oregon, and then Joshua Charlton did the same at No. 5 singles to tie the match, leaving the team score to be decided by the outcome at No. 1 singles.
UO all-time wins leader Thomas Laurent, returning from a five-match absence, dropped the first set but won the second in a tiebreaker, and was a point away from going up 5-0 in the third. But Stanford's Axel Geller fought back within 5-4, at which point Laurent needed assistance from Oregon's athletic trainer. Geller went on to win the third set, clinching the match for Stanford.
"We played great," UO coach Nils Shyllander said. "There's nothing else really to say. We played great and fell about a quarter of an inch short."
How It Happened: In the early going of the match, only Ricky Oshima's win over Sameer Kumar at No. 4 singles gave the Ducks much to like. Stanford had won at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to clinch the first team point of the match, and the Cardinal also recorded straight-sets wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles.
Charlton and Roberts each won his first set but dropped the second. Laurent lost his first set and was in a tiebreak for the second set, with the score at 5-5, when he was at the net and had Geller loft a shot over his head. Had Geller earned the point, he would have needed just one more to win the set, and the match for Stanford. But Laurent turned his back to the net, ran back toward the baseline and hit a no-look winner between his legs, seizing momentum.
"He was playing great until — I don't know exactly what happened — until he stiffened up," Shyllander said.
Having Laurent try to fight through at less than 100 percent robbed the Ducks of what was nearly an epic comeback. Roberts took early command of his third set on the way to a win, and Charlton also overcome the loss of his second set to come back and win the third.
What It Means: The loss was the seventh straight for the Oregon men, but the first in several weeks in which they had a full complement of healthy players — until, that is, the closing points of Laurent's match Friday.
"We know that's what we are when we're a complete lineup," Schyllander said. "Now we'll see for tomorrow who can go and who can't."
Up Next: The Ducks will honor their three-player senior class in conjunction with the final home match of the season Saturday, against No. 35 California at 1 p.m.
#12 Stanford 4, #45 Oregon 3
Friday, April 19, 2019
Eugene, Ore.
Doubles
1. Sameer Kumar/Timothy Sah (STAN) def. Joshua Charlton/Ty Gentry (ORE) — 6-4
2. Riki Oshima/Charles Roberts (ORE) vs. Jack Barber/Axel Geller (STAN) — 5-4 [unfinished]
3. Alexandre Rotsaert/Sangeet Sridhar (STAN) def. Emmanuel Coste/Armando Soemarno (ORE) — 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1
Singles
1. No. 13 Axel Geller (STAN) def. No. 12 Thomas Laurent (ORE) — 6-4, 6-7(7-5), 7-6(7-4)
2. No. 51 Alexandre Rotsaert (STAN) def. Emmanuel Coste (ORE) — 6-3, 6-4
3. No. 113 William Genesen (STAN) def. Ty Gentry (ORE) — 6-1, 7-5
4. Riki Oshima (ORE) def. No. 114 Sameer Kumar (STAN) — 6-4, 6-1
5. Joshua Charlton (ORE) def. Timothy Sah (STAN) — 7-6(7-3), 5-7, 6-4
6. Charles Roberts (ORE) def. Sangeet Sridhar (STAN) — 6-2, 6-7(9-7), 6-3
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 3, 6, 5, 1
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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