Rice University
San Diego
Rice Upsets San Diego 5-2
3/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 17, 2006
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Sophomore Filip Zivojinovic helped clinch the doubles point then secured the team victory in single to lead the 54th-ranked Rice men to a tough 5-2 upset at 35th-ranked San Diego on Friday.
The match was originally slated for Saturday, but the threat of wet weather moved it forward a day to ensure it was played.
The Owls and the Toreros split at one and three doubles, with Rice's tandem of Ben Harknett and Christoph Müller beating Ryo Sekiguchi and Chris Coetzee 8-4. The Owls' Zivojinovic and Ralph Knupfer then won a demanding 9-8 decision against Jonas Mouly and Oscar Plotnik to put their team up 1-0.
In singles, senior Robert Searle, ranked 59th scored a straight-set upset against 45th-ranked Pierrick Ysern at the top spot, winning 7-6, 6-2. Knupfer was also victorious in singles, dominating Mirza Koristovic 6-1, 6-2 at three as the Owls took a 3-2 lead with two matches still playing.
At number five, Zivojinovic took the first set then rebounded from a second-set loss for a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory against Sekiguchi to ice the team win. Senior Tony Haerle added the final point, beating Thomas Liversage 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 at four.
The win improves Rice's record to 9-5 on the year. The Owls return home next weekend to host the Hyatt Regency Downtown/Rice Invitational, featuring Texas Tech, South Florida and Purdue in dual match action.
Results
No. 54 Rice 5, No. 35 San Diego 2
Doubles
1. Ysern/Liversage (USD) def. Searle/Haerle (RU), 8-6
2. Knupfer/Zivojinovic (RU) def. Plotnik/Mouly (USD), 9-8
3. Harknett/Müller (RU) def. Sekiguchi/Coetzee (USD), 8-4
Singles
1. No. 59 Robert Searle (RU) def. No. 45 Pierrick Ysern (USD), 7-6, 6-2
2. Oscar Plotnik (USD) def. Ben Harknett (RU), 7-6, 6-3
3. Ralph Knupfer (RU) def. Mirza Koristovic (USD), 6-1, 6-3
4. Tony Haerle (RU) def. Thomas Liversage (USD), 6-1, 1-6, 7-6
5. Filip Zivojinovic (RU) def. Ryo Sekiguchi (USD), 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
6. Jonas Mouly (USD) def. Christoph Müller (RU), 6-1, 6-3
Players Mentioned
