Tulane University
#19 California
No. 22 Tulane Men’s Tennis Takes Down No. 19 Cal, 4-3
Jan 28, 2018 | Men's Tennis
BERKELEY, Calif. - In a rematch of last year's ITA Kickoff Weekend final in Berkeley, the 22nd-ranked Tulane men's tennis team flipped its fate by knocking off host and 19th-ranked California, 4-3, in the first round of play Sunday afternoon at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
Tulane (2-0) will face the winner of 12th-ranked Stanford and Oregon (receiving votes) in Monday's final, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the ITA National Indoor Championships, which will be held Feb. 16-19 in Seattle.
"I'm very pleased with the way our boys stepped up to the challenge today against a great Cal team on its home courts," director of tennis and head coach Mark Booras said. "We had a real tight doubles point that we managed to pull out one of the tiebreakers and give us that coveted first point of the match."
The Green Wave started strong with doubles play, as freshman Hamish Stewart and sophomore Tim Ruetzel claimed a quick, 6-2 win from the No. 3 spot in the lineup. With No. 1 and No. 2 doubles tied, 6-6, respectively, junior Tyler Schick and sophomore Luis Erlenbusch dominated the tiebreak, 6-1, to clinch the first team point of the match and send the Wave into singles ahead, 1-0.
The Golden Bears (2-1) appeared undaunted to start singles, countering by claiming the first set on five of the six courts. Tulane would hang tough however, as Ruetzel cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 at the No. 6 spot in the lineup to increase the advantage to 2-0.
"Hats off to Cal for coming back with a massive onslaught of energy and attack in the beginning of singles," Booras said. "We were down five first sets before we knew it, and they totally took the momentum back from us."
Despite dropping his first set from the No. 1 position, 6-0, to Cal's Billy Griffith - an opponent he defeated in straight sets in the first round of the main draw at the ITA All-American Championships on Oct. 5 in Tulsa, Okla., senior and 21st-ranked Constantin Schmitz rallied back to win the second frame, 6-1, and force a third set. Schmitz remained in control, closing out the final column, 6-1, to push the Wave's advantage to 3-0 on the scoreboard.
Even with Tulane holding what appeared to be a commanding lead, Cal had control on on courts three, four and five, claiming straight-set victories on each to even the team score, 3-3, with court two holding the result in the balance heading to a third set.
After dropping a tight first set, 7-5, to T.J. Nishimura, sophomore and 112th-ranked Ewan Moore responded with a convincing 6-1 decision in the second frame. Holding serve, Moore broke Nishimura early to pull in front, 3-0, before breaking again and clinching the match with a 6-1, third set win.
"I like how our guys hung in there, kept their heads on a swivel, find a way to get back in the match and eventually turn it around in our favor," Booras said. "It showed a lot of maturity by our boys to stay patient and know that their patience, focus and belief would pay off no matter how far behind we were against a great opponent."
No. 22 Tulane (2-0) defeated No. 19 Cal (2-1), 4-3
Doubles
1. No. 52 Billy Griffith/J.T. Nishimura (Cal) vs. Constantin Schmitz/Ewan Moore (Tulane), 6-6 (6-4) Unfinished
2. No. 16 Tyler Schick/Luis Erlenbusch (Tulane) def. Ben Draper/Jack Molloy (Cal), 7-6(1)*
3. No. 47 Hamish Stewart/Tim Ruetzel (Tulane) def. Dominic Barretto/Paul Barretto (Cal), 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2*
*Clinched the doubles point
Singles
1. No. 21 Constantin Schmitz (Tulane) def. Billy Griffith (Cal), 0-6, 6-1, 6-1
2. No. 112 Ewan Moore (Tulane) def. J.T. Nishimura (Cal), 5-7, 6-1, 6-1^
3. Jack Molloy (Cal) def. Hamish Stewart (Tulane), 6-2, 6-2
4. Paul Barretto (Cal) def. No. 46 Luis Erlenbusch (Tulane), 7-5, 6-2
5. Jacob Brumm (Cal) def. No. 107 Tyler Schick (Tulane), 6-2, 6-3
6. Tim Ruetzel (Tulane) def. Ben Draper (Cal), 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: 6, 1, 5, 3, 4, 2^
^Clinched the overall match
Players Mentioned
