MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.
- In arguably one
of the biggest victories in Drake men's tennis history, the 59th-rated duo of
seniors
Anis Ghorbel (Sfax, Tunisia) and
James McKie
(Edinburgh, Scotland) upset the No. 1 doubles team in the country on Sunday
(Oct. 21) to advance to the championship match at the Intercollegiate Tennis
Association (ITA) Central Regional.
Ghorbel and McKie
moved into the semifinal round after dispatching fellow Missouri Valley
Conference rivals Alvaro Gutierrez and Matheus Pereira of Wichita State, 9-7.
The tandem then faced
the daunting task of battling the top-rated duo of Costin Paval and Dane Webb
from Oklahoma. The Bulldogs proved
up to the challenge registering an 8-5 triumph.
The championship
doubles match of the ITA Central Regional is slated for 12:00 p.m. on Monday
(Oct. 22) where Ghorbel and McKie will meet Guillermo Alcorta and Axel Alverez of Oklahoma.
In singles, Ghorbel
and junior Robin Goodman (Cambridge, England) nearly made it
an all-Drake finale as each came up short in their respective semifinal
matches.
Ghorbel, who is
ranked No. 87 in the preseason ITA singles rankings, dealt Paval, who is rated
No. 6 nationally, a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 setback in the quarterfinals.
With little time to
recover after a grueling match, Ghorbel fell short in his showdown with No. 50
Leandro Toledo of Minnesota, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Goodman handed
44th-rated Clifford Marsland of Tulsa a 6-4, 6-4 loss in the quarterfinals
before dropping a 6-3 6-0 decision against No. 28 Alcorta of
Oklahoma.
Besting sophomore Alen Salibasic (Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina) in the quarterfinals was
Alcorta, 6-3, 6-2.
ITA CENTRAL
REGIONAL
OCT. 21 •
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.
SINGLES:
No. 87 Anis Ghorbel
(DU) def. No. 6 Costin Paval (OKLA), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
No. 50 Leandro Toledo
(MINN) def. No. 87 Anis Ghorbel (DU), 7-6 (5), 6-4
Robin Goodman (DU)
def. No. 44 Clifford Marsland (TULSA), 6-4, 6-4
No. 28 Guillermo
Alcorta (OKLA) def. Robin Goodman (DU), 6-3, 6-0
No. 28 Guillermo Alcorta (OKLA) def.
Alen Salibasic (DU), 6-3, 6-2
DOUBLES:
No. 59 Ghorbel/McKie
(DU) def. Alvaro Gutierrez/Matheus Pereira (WSU), 9-7
No. 59 Ghorbel/McKie
(DU) def. No. 1 Costin Paval/Dane Webb (OKLA), 8-5
