Tulane University
USF (C-USA Championship)
Tulane Captures C-USA Men's Tennis Championship
Apr 22, 2001 | Men's Tennis
April 22, 2001
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Senior Mikko Viljanen (Vantaa, Finland) won a tough first-set tiebreaker and used that momentum to cruise to a 6-2 second-set victory which lifted Tulane University over the University of South Florida for the 2001 Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship Sunday afternoon before a capacity crowd at the Goldring Tennis Center.
The Wave had won the team point in doubles and freshman Michael Kogan (Kfar Saba, Israel) and sophomore Jorge Lievano (Bucaramanga, Colombia) both won their singles matches in straight sets, giving the Green Wave a 3-1 lead. While sophomore Victor Romero (Atizapan, Mexico) cruised to a 6-3 opening set victory, Viljanen was caught in a dog-fight. However, the Tulane senior won the tiebreaker, 7-3. In the second set, it was Romero who slowed, while Viljanen picked up the pace. Romero held a 6-5 advantage in his effort to clinch the Championship when Viljanen closed out his contest.
The victory is Tulane's second C-USA Men's Tennis title, the other came in 1997. In Tulane's last trip to the Championship match, in 1999, the Green Wave lost to South Florida, 4-3. In addition, the Green Wave women also won the league championship Sunday, defeating UAB, 4-0, in Hattiesburg, Miss.
Tulane (15-8), ranked No. 45 in the nation, has won eight consecutive matches. South Florida entered the weekend with the No. 37 ranking in the nation.
The Wave, which has earned the doubles point in 14 straight matches this year, continued that success on Sunday. Kogan and Viljanen, who are ranked No. 10 in the nation in doubles, cruised to an 8-2 victory at No. 1, while Lievano and Romero had a more difficult match, but still prevailed, 8-6.
After the Wave dropped the No. 5 singles match, the 32nd ranked Kogan put them back on top with a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 1 over No. 77 Paco Antelo. Kogan did not drop a set in the entire tournament, allowing a total of 13 points in six sets. Within seconds of Kogan's win, Lievano closed out Max Dockhorn, 6-3, 6-4, making it 3-1 in favor of the Wave and setting up the clinching victory by the senior Viljanen.
Results: No. 45 Tulane 4, No. 37 South Florida 1
Singles:
1. No. 32 Michael Kogan (TU) def. No. 77 Paco Antelo (SF): 6-4, 6-2
2. No. 89 Victor Romero (TU) vs. Martin Wetzel (SF): 6-3, 6-5 (Did not finish)
3. Mikko Viljanen (TU) def. Boris Babic (SF): 7-6, 6-2
4. Jorge Lievano (TU) def. Max Dockhorn (SF): 6-3, 6-4
5. Nadim Naser (SF) def. Derya Rose (TU): 6-2, 6-2
6. Mattias Westerberg (TU) vs. Jorge Escallon (SF): 6-7, 0-3 (Did not finish)
Doubles
1. No. 10 Kogan/Viljanen (TU) def. Antelo/Wetzel (SF): 8-2
2. Goran Vasiljevic/Westerberg (TU) vs. Escallon/Naser (SF): 6-7 (Did not finish)
3. Leivano/Romero (TU) def. Dockhorn/Shah (SF): 8-6
Record:
Tulane (15-8)
Players Mentioned
