Business as Usual: Tourney Time For UO Men
05/01/18 | Men's Tennis, @GoDucksMoseley
The Oregon men's tennis team will open NCAA Tournament play May 12 against Dartmout at TCU, the third straight NCAA trip for the Ducks
The Oregon men's and women's program had gathered in the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex dining hall to watch the selection show. The men's field was announced second, and no sooner had it been released than did Schyllander shoot from his seat.
"Gentlemen," he said, "let's go practice."
Invigorated by a late-season surge that included the first two wins in program history over California, the Oregon men will open the 2018 NCAA Tournament on Saturday, May 12, against Dartmouth. The Ducks and Ivy League co-champion Big Green will meet for the first time ever, with the winner to face regional host Texas Christian in the second round.
Just two years ago, the Oregon men's tennis program never had made back-to-back tournament appearances. Now, the Ducks are in the field of 64 for the third straight spring, and looking to move on to the Sweet Sixteen after second-round losses each of the last two years.
"Maybe a couple years ago, we were just happy to see our name in the draw," junior Thomas Laurent said. "Right now, we were kind of expecting it, and just looking at who we're going to play. Dartmouth is a good team, but I think we'll have a chance, and we'll see what happens."
Laurent and the Ducks (17-9) are coming off a Pac-12 Tournament semifinal loss to UCLA, the eventual conference champs and the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA field. The Bruins swept the semifinal, 4-0, but the doubles point was fiercely competitive, and at No. 1 singles Laurent had taken a set off the top-rated singles player in the country, Martin Redlicki, and was serving with the second set tied at 3-3 when the team race was settled.
"I felt good, I felt like I was there, like I could win," Laurent said. "I'm confident for any match right now in my singles, and for the team, for sure this is our best moment of the season. I think that's great it happens now. Hopefully we can keep up this momentum."
Seven of the nine Pac-12 men's tennis programs made the NCAA field, with USC and Stanford joining the Bruins as tournament hosts. The crowded throng of Pac-12 hosts meant the Ducks were sure to have to travel, but it also gave them a résumé well worthy of NCAA consideration – and that was before Oregon's first-ever win over California in the final weekend of the regular season.
Then, the Ducks beat the Golden Bears again in the Pac-12 Tournament, before a solid performance against the Bruins in a match more competitive than the 4-0 score indicated.
"We've been playing our best tennis down the stretch," Schyllander said. "We started the year with that mindset of, it's an expectations now, not only making (the NCAA Tournament) but putting yourself in position to do some damage."
Dartmouth (20-5) also enters the tournament on a hot streak, having won six straight matches since dropping its Ivy League opener. The Big Green tied Columbia at 6-1 in the league, and claimed an automatic NCAA bid by way of a win over the Lions.
On Wednesday, the NCAA announced that junior Thomas Laurent has been selected to compete in the NCAA Division I Singles Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C., which will run from May 23-28 after the completion of the team championships.
Laurent is the third Duck ever to be selected in back-to-back years, joining Sven Swinnen (2004-05) and Manuel Kost 2003-04).
The native of Montpellier, France, has been tremendous all season for the Ducks, going 25-6 in singles play this season with a team-high 17-4 record in dual play, all from the No. 1 position. This past fall, Laurent posted an 8-2 singles record, advancing to the semifinals of the ITA All-American Championships and the ITA Fall National Championships.
Laurent has won eight of his last nine singles matches, including three straight over ranked opponents. This year he is 11-5 against ranked foes, recording his biggest victories over then No. 9 William Bushamuka of Kentucky and No. 13 Constantin Schmitz of Tulane this past fall.
