Rice University
Tulsa
Men's Tennis Advances to AAC Semis with 4-1 Win Over Tulsa
4/19/2024 6:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis
TULSA, Oklahoma — Rice men's tennis defeated fifth-seeded Tulsa, 4-1, on Friday at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in the program's first appearance at the AAC Championships. The fourth-seeded Owls will face top-seeded Memphis in the semifinal round tomorrow at noon (CT).
Doubles: The Owls took early control of the match in doubles play. Juniors Arthus de la Bassetiere and Eduardo Morais posted a 6-1 win at the third spot in the lineup. At the first position, senior Yasha Zemel and sophomore Kabeer Kapasi took down the nation's 41st-ranked doubles duo, 6-4, to clinch the doubles point for Rice. At the second position, senior Trinity Grear and freshman Petro Kuzmenok had battled to a 5-5 draw when the point was clinched.
Singles: In singles action, the Golden Hurricane battled back with first-set wins at four spots in the lineup. Only one match turned into a Tulsa point, however, as the Owls fought back into matches throughout the lineup. After a win from Kapasi via retirement at the sixth position, Tulsa got on the board with a win at the first position. Kuzmenok then kept the distance for Rice with a 7-5, 6-1 win at the No. 5s. In a three-set battle, junior Emir Sendogan delivered the clinching point with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 victory at the fourth position. At the third spot, de la Bassetiere battled back after dropping the first set, building a 4-1 lead in the third frame before the match was suspended. Grear had also battled to a 5-5 tie in the second frame of his match at the second position.
The win advances the Owls to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since reaching the Conference USA semifinals in 2019. Rice will take on the AAC's top seed, Memphis, tomorrow at noon (CT).
Head coach Efe Ustundag: "Gritty match today. Came out and played some really energetic and strong doubles. Tulsa, however, wasn't phased and came back strong with four first sets. Really unfortunate what happened to Kabeer's opponent who got injured on set point at No. 6 and had to retire. I wish him a speedy recovery. That situation took some wind out of Tulsa's sails. Petro and Emir added the first sets and when Petro got off the court in straight sets, we were looking at a 3-1 lead with breaks on courts three and four in the third sets. In the meantime, Trinity was battling late in the second. Very strong finish from Emir winning five straight games in the third set to clinch the match. It is not an easy thing to do beating Tulsa in Tulsa. I am very proud of the boys' efforts and ability to stay strong mentally. Now we get ready for the top seed in Memphis, who has been the dominant team in the conference all season long."
Up Next: The Owls take on top-seeded Memphis in the semifinal round of the AAC Championships tomorrow at noon (CT) at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. Live video and results are available for the match via the Rice men's tennis schedule page.
Rice holds a 5-3 all-time record against Memphis, though the Tigers have won each of the past three meetings, including a 4-0 win in the most recent matchup in 2018. The Tigers are 16-5 on the season and are ranked 32nd in the latest ITA rankings. Memphis defeated No. 8 South Florida, 4-1, in the quarterfinal round.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
1,5,6,4
Players Mentioned
