University of Louisville
NCAA Singles Championship
Stiefelmeyer Opens NCAA Singles Championship with a Win
May 20, 2015 | Men's Tennis
WACO, Texas -University of Louisville senior Sebastian Stiefelmeyer defeated California's Andre Goransson 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship Wednesday afternoon at Baylor University's Hurd Tennis Center. He will face Georgia's Austin Smith in the round of 32 Thursday at 10 a.m. (ET).
"I feel very good," said Stiefelmeyer. "This is the first time I've gotten the chance to participate in this tournament, to start with a win feels great. I was focused. I felt confident, I felt like I was in control of the match."
Stiefelmeyer (Vienna, Austria), the overall No. 5 seed in the tournament, jumped out to a 4-1 lead over No. 29 Goransson and held on to win the first set 6-4. In the second set, Stiefelmeyer went ahead 2-0, but Goransson battled back to tie the set at 2-2. The Cal sophomore briefly went up 3-2 at break point before Stiefelmeyer took command and won the next four games to clinch the match.
"The first time I played a good drop shot, the second time was a long and intense rally," said Stiefelmeyer on being down 2-3 at break point in the second set. "I won the rally - it was a little bit of luck - but I think it was a total momentum changer. I was up 2-0 and all of a sudden he had a chance to go up 4-2, but I got it back to 3-3 and it felt like I was up 5-3."
"I am so happy for Sebastian," said UofL head coach Rex Ecarma. "He had prepared so hard for today. He took very little time off after the team NCAA tournament and has been extremely diligent with everything we have asked of him. He defeated one of the elite players in the Pac-12 Conference today. He got off to a good start, but Andre Goransson never backed down and had an opportunity to take over the second set. Sebastian took his competitiveness to a higher level and weathered the storm. He closed the match efficiently. He used his experience in big matches and understood the scouting clearly."
Fifth-ranked Stiefelmeyer improves his overall singles record to 41-6 on the season. He advances to the second round to face Georgia's No. 30 Austin Smith who upended South Florida's 21st ranked Roberto Cid in his first round match.
NCAA Singles Championship Results
May 20, 2015
First round
#5 [5] Sebastian Stiefelmeyer (LOUISVILLE) def. #29 Andre Goransson (CALIFORNIA), 6-4, 6-3
Players Mentioned
