Cards Take Down No. 10 Virginia in ACC Opener

Saturday, January 18

LOUISVILLE, KY

12:00 PM

University of Louisville

VIRGINIA

January 18, 2020 | Men's Tennis

Box Score Head coach Rodrigo da Silva Interview Tin Chen Interview Photo Gallery

Junior Tin Chen clinches the win at No. 1 singles

By: Kyle Echsner

Louisville, Ky. – Junior Tin Chen's three-set win against No. 10 Virginia lifted the University of Louisville men's tennis team to a 4-3 win over the Cavaliers in Louisville's ACC opener at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. The Cardinals stay undefeated on the season with a 3-0, 1-0 ACC record.

Louisville will continue Saturday's doubleheader against Austin Peay at 4:30 p.m.

"I'm so proud of the guys, they just kept competing," said UofL head coach Rodrigo da Silva. "They stayed tough, there was a little bit of controversy towards the end and they stayed tough and we got it so I'm super proud of the guys."

Virginia (2-1. 0-1 ACC) started the match by taking the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. The Cavalier duo of Christian Alshon and Ammar Alhaqbani defeated Alex Wesbrooks and Daniel Fainblum 6-4 at No. 3 and clinched the point at the two-spot where Gianni Ross and William Woodall topped Matthew Fung and Tin Chen 6-3.

In singles action, the Cavaliers extended their lead to 2-0 with Christina Alshon taking down Fainblum 6-2, 6-4 on court five.

With the Cardinals trailing 2-0, the remaining courts went to three sets as the match remained highly competitive until the final point. Fabien Salle put the Cardinals on the scoreboard with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win over Virginia's Matthew Lord to make the score 2-1.

Louisville's momentum continued on court 2 where Sergio Hernandez defeated Virginia's Ryan Goetz 6-4, 7-6 to even the score at 2-2.

Fung put the Cardinals on top with 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win against RJ Fresen at the six-spot.

Virginia answered countered with a win on court four when Woodall outlasted David Mizrahi 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to bring the score to 3-3.

The match came down to the No. 1 spot where Chen and Ross split sets with Chen picking up a 7-6 victory in the first set and Ross taking the second 6-3. After a hard-fought chess match between the two, Chen ended up taking the win 6-4 to clinch the match. It marked the first time the Cardinals beat a top-10 since defeating No. 10 North Carolina 5-2 on March 20, 2015 at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.

Louisville 4, #10 Virginia 3
Jan 18, 2020 at Louisville, Ky. |Bass-Rudd Tennis Center
Singles
1. #42 Tin Chen (LOU) def. #68 Gianni Ross (VA) 7-6, 3-6, 6-4
2. Sergio Hernandez (LOU) def. #115 Ryan Goetz (VA) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Fabien Salle (LOU) def. Matthew Lord (VA) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
4. William Woodall (VA) def. David Mizrahi (LOU) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
5. Christian Alshon (VA) def. Daniel Fainblum (LOU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Matthew Fung (LOU) def. RJ Fresen (VA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Doubles
1. Sergio Hernandez/Fabien Salle (LOU) vs. Matthew Lord/Ryan Goetz (VA) 4-5, unfinished
2. #53 Gianni Ross/William Woodall (VA) def. Matthew Fung/Tin Chen (LOU) 6-3
3. Christian Alshon/Ammar Alhaqbani (VA) def. Alex Wesbrooks/Daniel Fainblum (LOU) 6-3

Match Notes:
Virginia 2-1, (0-1); National ranking #10
Louisville Men's Tennis 3-0, (1-0)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,3,2,6,4,1)
T-2:49 A-189