University of Oregon
Iowa
Ducks Edge Iowa for Third Win in Three Days
02/11/17 | Men's Tennis
OREGON WINS FOURTH STRAIGHT OVERALL AND IMPROVES TO 7-1 AFTER WINNING THREE MATCHES IN THREE DAYS AT HOME
EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon men's tennis team won its third match in a span of three days on Saturday afternoon with a 5-2 victory over Iowa at the Student Tennis Center.
How it Happened: The Ducks (7-1) came out and won the doubles point for the fifth match in a row to start the day off on a high note. Akihiro Tanaka joined back up with Simon Stevens at No. 3 after playing only singles on Friday, and the pair came away with a 6-2 win to open the match. The 51st-ranked duo of Jayson Amos and Armando Soemarno sealed the point for Oregon with a 6-2 victory on the top court.
Singles featured multiple tight matches and brought a lot of energy from a good-sized crowd at the STC. Stevens, ranked 124th in the nation in singles, gave Oregon a 2-0 lead on the second court with a 6-2, 6-3 win against No. 103 Josh Silverstein (Iowa). His doubles partner, Tanaka, brought the Ducks within a point of the match win with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 4 over Iowa's Robin Haden.
The Hawkeyes (5-3) put a point on the board with a hard-fought win at No. 5, as Jonas Larsen defeated the Ducks' Cormac Clissold, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5. Oregon would not allow any comeback drama to mount, however, as 38th-ranked Thomas Laurent clinched the Ducks fourth win in a row by coming back from an early deficit to beat Lefteris Theodorou, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
With the win secured for the Ducks, Iowa scored its second point as Kareem Allaf took down senior Jayson Amos, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Sophomore Ethan Young-Smith closed out the match with a 6-2, 6-7, 1-0 (10-4) win on No. 6.
What it Means: The Ducks have been rolling since suffering a dramatic loss to No. 9 Texas in the Austin regional final of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, winning their last four matches by a combined score of 23-2. Oregon faced the challenge of three matches in three days and came away with three commanding wins, and did so while winning all three doubles points, a point of emphasis for the Ducks entering this week.
Quotable: Head Coach Nils Schyllander
"We showed up with really good energy in doubles and had good execution, so we had a pretty good start. We knew Iowa was going to be good and tough in singles, and I think we matched their energy pretty well. We started pretty well, and I think halfway through they made a push be we were able to respond and then put it away."
Notable: Laurent continued to shine in singles, winning his 11th match in a row and improving to 17-2 this season and 11-0 in his career at the No. 1 spot ... Amos and Soemarno won their 23rd career match together to move into a tie for 13th in UO history ... Stevens picked up his second win of the year over a ranked opponent ... Tanaka improved to 6-1 in dual match singles this spring, and Young-Smith moved to 4-0.
Up Next: After playing their last four matches at home, the Ducks will go on the road next week to Minneapolis to face Middle Tennessee and Minnesota next Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Players Mentioned
