Rice University
Creighton
Men's Tennis Celebrates Senior Day with 7-0 Sweep of Creighton
4/13/2024 7:52:00 PM | Men's Tennis
HOUSTON, Texas — Rice men's tennis celebrated Senior Day with a 7-0 sweep of Creighton on Saturday at the George R. Brown Tennis Center. Both seniors Trinity Grear and Yasha Zemel posted a pair of straight-set victories following a ceremony honoring the pair's careers on South Main.
Doubles: The Owls started off strong in doubles play as Zemel and sophomore Kabeer Kapasi started off the match with a 6-3 win at the top spot in the lineup. In a pair of tightly-contested battles at the remaining courts, juniors Arthus de la Bassetiere and Eduardo Morais combined for a 6-4 win at the third spot to clinch the doubles point for the Owls. At the second court, Grear and freshman Petro Kuzmenok had climbed back in the match, winning three straight games before the match was suspended.
Singles: In singles action, Zemel completed his two-win performance on Senior Day, winning at the first position, 6-4, 6-2. Grear followed with his own celebratory victory at the second position, 6-3, 6-3. Junior Emir Sendogan delivered the clinching point for Rice, posting a 6-3, 6-2 win at the third position. Playing all matches out, Kapasi was the next Owl to close out a win with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at the fifth position. Morais then prevailed in a second-set tiebreaker to claim a 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory at the No. 6s. Kuzmenok then sealed the sweep for the Owls, outlasting his opponent in three sets at the fourth position for a 7-5, 5-7, 1-0 (10-6) win.
Head coach Efe Ustundag: "It's always an emotional day and I think sometimes that emotion can turn into something really positive and energetic and sometimes it can kind of slow you down a little bit. I felt that maybe at the start of doubles. But it was a nice day. We had a nice turn out for them and it was great that they actually played at a pretty good level in the singles afterwards. I think it might be the first time this season we had one and two off the court first together. That was a lot of fun. It was a good day. You've got that ceremony in mind and then a big match on the road tomorrow, but I'm glad that we didn't fall into a trap and took care of business early and clinched the match.
On seniors Trinity Grear and Yasha Zemel
"These guys helped change the culture and improve it even further. Yasha with his professionalism, obviously maturity, but sometimes you can be mature but also disconnected. He wasn't that. He was actually one of the hardest workers, one of the most disciplined people I've ever met. I hope that there is more future in tennis for him. He deserves it. I hope that he has a lot more years ahead of him at the next level. Trinity, for me, just watching that growth from a skinny juniors player to a mature adult, a tough out, a leader. It was a lot of fun being a part of that process. Hopefully, we get to do this for a few more weeks."
Up Next: The Owls head to San Antonio to conclude the regular season at UTSA tomorrow at 1 p.m. (CT) at the UTSA Tennis Center.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2,3,5,6,4
Players Mentioned
