Haerle, Searle Upset Defending Champs in NCAA Doubles Opener
5/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
May 25, 2006
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Rice's senior tandem of Tony Haerle and Robert Searle eliminated NCAA defending doubles champions John Isner and Antonio Ruiz of Georgia 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the opening round of the 2006 NCAA doubles championships on Thursday in Palo Alto, Calif.
Also on Thursday, Searle was knocked out of the singles championships with a second round 2-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) loss to Callum Beale of Texas.
After jumping out to an early lead, the Owls' 18th-ranked duo of Haerle and Searle held on to take the first set 6-3 against the ninth-ranked Bulldog pair. In the second frame, the teams traded games before the Owls finally won two in a row to go up 6-5. The Bulldogs fought back to force the tiebreak, but it would prove to be to late. Haerle and Searle took a commanding 6-1 lead in the tiebreak and went on to win the set 7-6 (3).
With the victory, Haerle and Searle move to the round of 16 where they face Miami's Luigi D'Agord and Daniel Vallverdu on Friday at 8:30 pm (CDT). The Hurricane duo rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win against California's Tyler Browne and Conor Niland in Thursday's opener
In a singles match that took more than three hours, Searle broke the serve of Beale to take a 3-2 lead in the first set and went on to win the frame 6-2. The Owl and the Longhorn traded blows in the second set before Searle broke a 5-5 tie to pull ahead and serve for the match. Beale fought back to first force the tiebreak then to force a third set. The pair continued their battle into the third frame, again trading games all the way to a 6-6 tie. Beale finally gained the upper-hand in the tiebreak, scoring the first four points then going on to take the match.
The 2006 NCAA Men's and Women's Singles and Doubles Championships continue through Monday.
Players Mentioned
