CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The 13th-ranked Virginia Tech men’s tennis team fell to fourth-ranked Virginia, 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at the Snyder Tennis Center in Charlottesville, Va.
“I would like to thank our fans that came out today,” said head coach Jim Thompson. “UVA is a good team and deserves a lot of credit, but I was really proud of the way our guys fought hard in front of such a supportive HokieNation crowd.”
UVA and Tech entered the match ranked first and second, respectively, in the ACC. The Hokies fall to 15-3 overall and 7-2 in the league while the Cavaliers improve to 16-3 and 8-0 in the ACC.
Hunter Koontz scored the point for the Hokies in the last completed match of the day. Koontz faced 112th-ranked Mac Styslinger in the No. 4 where the two went to three sets. After dropping the first set 6-4, Koontz came back to take the next two 6-4, 6-4.
Tech gave up the doubles point to the Cavaliers as UVA picked up wins in the No. 2 and No. 3. In the No. 1 the Hokies’ 64th-ranked Andreas Bjerrehus and Koontz trailed slightly at 7-6 to eighth-ranked Luca Corinteli and Ryan Shane, but the match went unfinished once the point was decided.
Virginia took a 2-0 lead with a singles win in the No. 3. UVA’s 10th-ranked Thai Son Kwiatkowski defeated 109th-ranked Joao Monteiro 7-6(4), 6-0. In the No. 2, the Hokies’ 63rd-ranked Amerigo Contini fell to sixth-ranked Shane 6-3, 6-4 as Virginia went up 3-0.
In the No. 1, 45th-ranked Bjerrehus and 29th-ranked Mitchell Frank battled it out, but Frank was able to break the serve in both sets 6-4, 6-4 to secure the win for the Cavaliers.
Jai Corbett looked to rally against UVA’s Henrik Wiersholm in the No. 6 after falling in the opening set 6-1. Corbett came back to take the second 6-3, but Wiersholm claimed the third, 6-3.
Tech’s Edoardo Tessaro also went to three sets, taking on J.C. Aragone in the No. 5. The Cavalier player held on for a tiebreaker win in the opening set, 7-6(3), but Tessaro notched a 6-2 decision in the second. Aragone won with a 6-3 score in the final set.
This game was presented by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of Virginia Tech Athletics. With a victory this weekend from Virginia Tennis, they have added a point for their school to the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash. The score for the Clash is now, University of Virginia 8.5 and Virginia Tech 6.5. Learn more about Virginia529 and this new competition at www.thecommonwealthclash.com
The Hokies will travel to VCU on Friday, April 10 before returning to Blacksburg for the final home match of the regular-season on Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m. versus Georgia Tech. Virginia Tech will recognize senior Koontz before the match.
Singles
1. #29 Mitchell Frank (UVA) def. #45 Andreas Bjerrehus (VT) 6-4, 6-4
2. #6 Ryan Shane (UVA) def. #63 Amerigo Contini (VT) 6-3, 6-4
3. #10 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (UVA) def. #109 Joao Monteiro (VT) 7-6(4), 6-0
4. Hunter Koontz (VT) def. #112 Mac Styslinger (UVA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
5. J.C Aragone (UVA) def. Edoardo Tessaro (VT) 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3
6. Henrik Wiersholm (UVA) def. Jai Corbett (VT) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
Order of finish: 3,2,1,6,5,4
Doubles
1. #64 Bjerrehus/Koontz (VT) vs. #8 Luca Corinteli/Shane (UVA) 6-7 dnf
2. #54 Kwiatkowski/Styslinger (UVA) def. Contini/Corbett (VT) 8-5
3. Frank/Collin Altamirano (UVA) def. Monterio/Tessaro (VT) 8-4
Order of finish: 2,3