Rice University
UAB
Men's Tennis Wins Ralph O'Connor Rice Invitational with 4-0 Win Over UAB
3/24/2024 2:28:00 PM | Men's Tennis
HOUSTON, Texas — Rice men's tennis defeated UAB, 4-0, on Sunday to win the 65th Ralph O'Connor Rice Invitational at the George R. Brown Tennis Center. The Owls have now won the Rice Invitational in back-to-back years.
Doubles: The top spot in the lineup powered the Owls to an early start in doubles play. Senior Yasha Zemel and sophomore Kabeer Kapasi won, 6-0, at court one. Juniors Eduardo Morais and Arthus de la Bassetiere then clinched the opening point for Rice with a 6-3 win at the third position.
Singles: Carrying momentum into singles play, the Owls won the opening set at every position of the lineup. Despite tough wind conditions, Rice was able to clinch the tournament victory with straight-set victories at three courts. Senior Trinity Grear was the first Owl to finish, recording a 6-1, 6-4 win at the second position. Kapasi put Rice on the verge of victory with a win at the sixth position, 6-1, 6-4. Freshman Petro Kuzmenok then claimed the courtesy of the clinching point with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at the fifth position. At the time the point was clinched, Zemel led by one set at the first position while de la Bassetiere was early in the second set after posting a 7-6 (8-6) win in the opening frame. Junior Emir Sendogan was entering a decisive third set when the match was suspended.
With the win, the Owls have won the Ralph O'Connor Rice Invitational for the 24th time in program history.
Head coach Efe Ustundag: "I actually thought it was going to be a little bit worse with the wind, but it was great. It was a good competitive match. When you have a doubles team at number one where everything they're trying to do works and you get off the court, 6-0, it just puts a little bit of pressure on the other side. Kudos to the 3s, they needed it and took the first opportunity they had to break one break point and one break. I was very, very happy with that effort. In singles, quick first sets and it takes our energy to another level. At the same time, it kind of puts you in that position to possibly cruise or take your foot off the gas. Maybe a couple of times I saw it happen and I thought we lost a little bit of focus in the second set. Overall, I thought it was a really good weekend for us. Two solid wins at home over two conference opponents. It's always nice to win this trophy and win this tournament at home. We had a good crowd today so thanks to everybody that came out. Now on to another couple of road trips."
Up Next: The Owls carry a six-match winning streak on the road for a pair of matches in Charlotte, North Carolina. Rice will face Presbyterian on Saturday, March 30, at 2 p.m. (CT) before taking on No. 70 Charlotte on Sunday, March 31, at 11 a.m. (CT).
Players Mentioned
