April 25, 2014
Complete Results
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The No. 44 University of San Diego men's tennis team (16-7) prevailed over No. 4 seeded Santa Clara (17-7) Friday morning to advance to the finals of the West Coast Conference Championships.
Although the Broncos battled, the Toreros secured the win 4-2 after a crucial doubles point and a clutch three-set victory by senior Clarke Spinosa.
No. 38 Spinosa and freshman Filip Vittek stormed out the gate with plenty of energy. The tandem won their eighth match in a row after taking down Broncos' John Lamble and Ilya Osintsev 8-4. Sophomores Uros Petronijevic and Romain Kalaydjian quickly followed defeating Ashot Khacharyan and Mikheil Khmiadashvili by 8-4 as well.
In singles, the Broncos stayed tough picking up points at both the No. 6 and 3 spots. Santa Clara's Michael Tjuajadarma knocked off junior Andrew Raphaelson 6-2, 6-2, while Ashot Khacharyan defeated Vittek 6-3, 6-3. Those two wins would be the last points for the Broncos.
Junior Ciaran Fitzgerald continued his impressive performance in singles to get the Toreros back on track.
"I think after the Memphis match, when we lost 4-3, that kick-started my momentum," Fitzgerald said after the match. "I've been playing well since then and the guys have been really positive. I'm just trying to pump the guys up from the start and get a point on the board."
Fitzgerald, currently on a seven-match winning streak, defeated Bronco's Sam Bertram 6-4, 6-1. Kalaydjian followed, edging out Broncos' Mikheil Khmiadashvili 6-2, 7-6(2).
Fittingly, at 3-2 in the match, it was Spinosa who was closest to the finish line. Although dropping the second set, Spinosa clearly ran away with the match in dominating fashion - defeating Santa Clara's John Lamble 6-1, 1-6, 6-0.
I think we took care of doubles and got off to a good start," Spinosa expressed. "This team definitely wanted revenge on us after beating them at their place 4-0. But, everyone came out with a lot of energy in singles and did what they needed to do. To win the last match of the day and almost be out of the tournament my senior year everything is pretty special right now."
"Conference matches raise everyone's level," Head coach Brett Masi noted after the match. "I knew these guys were going to fight hard. I even asked Clarke to go one more year - I can't imagine losing him next season. All and all, I'm proud of the guys and happy that they stuck with it."
The Toreros go head-to-head with rival No. 51 Pepperdine tomorrow, looking for their second West Coast Conference Tournament title in four years. In their last meeting, the Toreros narrowly ousted the Waves after Raphaelson clinched in a thrilling three-set match. The finals are scheduled for tomorrow, 9:00 a.m. PT at the Barnes Tennis Center.
In the video below, Spinosa talks to The W.tv about the solid win and what to look forward to in the finals tomorrow.
West Coast Conference Championships Live Scoring
Final Results
San Diego 4, Santa Clara 2
Doubles Competition
1. #38 Clarke Spinosa/Filip Vittek (USD) def. John Lamble/Ilya Osintsev (SCU) 8-4
2. Uros Petronijevic/Romain Kalaydjian (USD) def. Ashot Khacharyan/Mikheil Khmiadashvili (SCU) 8-4
3. Sam Bertram/Michael Tjuatjadarma (SCU) vs. Ciaran Fitzgerald/Andrew Raphaelson (USD) 6-2 DNF
Singles Competition
1. #53 Clarke Spinosa (USD) def. John Lamble (SCU) 6-1, 1-6, 6-0
2. Uros Petronijevic (USD) vs. Ilya Osintsev (SCU) 5-7, 7-5, 1-0 DNF
3. Ashot Khacharyan (SCU) def. Filip Vittek (USD) 6-3, 6-3
4. Romain Kalaydjian (USD) def. Mikheil Khmiadashvili (SCU) 6-2, 7-6(2)
5. Ciaran Fitzgerald (USD) def. Sam Bertram (SCU) 6-4, 6-1
6. Michael Tjuajadarma (SCU) def. Andrew Raphaelson (USD) 6-2, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1, 2); Singles (6, 3, 5, 4, 1)
