CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In a battle that came down to the final match, it was 22nd-rated Memphis (15-5) that registered a 4-3 men's tennis victory past No. 45 Drake (22-6) in the NCAA Championship on Friday (May 9) at Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex on the campus of the University of Illinois.
The Tigers opened doubles play garnering an 8-4 decision on the No. 2 court where Connor Glennon and Cedric De Zutter bested juniors Ben Mullis (Leicestershire, England) and Alen Salibasic (Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina).
The battle for the doubles point came down to the wire on the remaining courts as both sides exchanged the lead with their respective opponents.
On the No. 3 court, the Drake tandem of juniors Matt Frost (Cambridge, England) and Ravi Patel (London, England) erased a 4-1 deficit with three unanswered to square their tilt at four.
The two sides exchanged the next four points before Ian Chadwell and Johnny Grimal took a 7-6 advantage.
Meanwhile at the No. 1 position, senior Robin Goodman (Cambridge, England) and sophomore Ben Lott (Newcastle, England) rallied to force the tiebreaker in their showdown versus the No. 13 duo of David O'Hare and Joe Salisbury.
Memphis jumped to a 4-2 lead before the Bulldogs rolled off three straight tallies to assume a 5-4 lead. Two straight points for the Tigers gave Memphis a 6-5 lead.
As the Tigers were serving for victory at No. 1, an errant return shot by Frost at No. 3 provided Memphis an 8-6 triumph and the doubles point.
Goodman opened singles in strong fashion collecting a 6-3, 6-3 triumph past Grimal on the No. 3 court. The victory was Goodman's second career NCAA singles win.
The Tigers retook the advantage, 2-1, after Salisbury registered a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Lott at the No. 2 position.
Within seconds the contest was again tied at two as Patel notched a 6-2, 6-4 win past Chadwell.
Memphis retook the lead, 3-2, after 65th-rated Glennon dealt Salibasic a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 setback at No. 1.
On the No. 6 court, Mullis rallied after dropping the initial set against O'Hare to record a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win.
The outcome then came down to the contest at No. 6 where Frost rallied to force a third set before ultimately dropping a 7-5, 2-6, 6-0 decision against David O'Leary.
NO. 22 MEMPHIS (15-5) DEF. NO. 45 DRAKE (22-6), 4-3
MAY 9, 2014 • CHAMPAIGN, ILL.
SINGLES:
No. 1 No. 65 Connor Glennon (MEM) def. No. 68 Alen Salibasic (DU), 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
No. 2 Joe Salisbury (MEM) def. Ben Lott (DU), 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 Robin Goodman (DU) def. Johnny Grimal (MEM), 6-3, 6-3
No. 4 David O'Leary (MEM) def. Matt Frost (DU), 7-5, 2-6, 6-0
No. 5 Ravi Patel (DU) def. Ian Chadwell (MEM), 6-3, 6-3
No. 6 Ben Mullis (DU) def. David O'Hare (MEM), 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Order of finish: 3,2,5,1,6,4
DOUBLES:
No. 1 No. 13 O'Hare/Salisbury (MEM) leading No. 88 Goodman/Lott (DU), 7-7 (6-5) unfinished
No. 2 Glennon/Cedric De Zutter (MEM) def. Mullis/Salibasic (DU), 8-4
No. 3 Chadwell/Grimal (MEM) def. Frost/Patel (DU), 8-6
Order of finish: 2,3
