Friday, May 24
Stillwater, Okla.
University of Louisville
vs
Ohio State
Historic Doubles Run Comes to Heartbreaking End
May 24, 2024 | Men's Tennis
Cardinals fall a single point short of a national championship appearance
STILLWATER, Okla. – A historic run came to a close on Friday evening as UofL men's tennis duo' #8 Etienne Donnet & Natan Rodrigues fell to #3 Robert Cash & JJ Tracy of Ohio State in a tight three-set, heartbreaking thriller. The final score of the match was 6-2, 4-6, 12-10 in favor of the Buckeyes.
Louisville knew it had an uphill battle to climb right from the first serve. Ohio State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening set. The Cardinals were able to regain a game before the Buckeyes rattled off another three. Ultimately, Ohio State won the first set 6-2.
The Cardinals did their best to get the early edge in the second set, winning the first game, and eventually taking a 3-1 lead. Ohio State went on to tie it up at 3-3 and 4-4, but UofL won its fifth game and then broke the Buckeyes for its sixth to take the set.
Donnet and Rodrigues made big moves to start the tiebreaker, similar to Thursday's quarterfinal match. The tandem made quick work of Ohio State to take a 4-1 lead. The Buckeyes immediately retaliated, scoring five straight points to lead 6-4. The Cards made their own 2-0 run to tie it back up at 6-6.
Louisville was one point away from advancing to the national championship, holding on to a score of 9-7, but Ohio State would not quit. The Buckeyes tied it up at 9-9 and then took a 10-9 lead. The Cards were able to hold them off for just one more point, tying it up at 10-10, before Ohio State proved to be too much. OSU claimed the final two points, winning the tiebreaker 12-10, to advance victoriously.
Despite the semifinal loss, Donnet & Rodrigues are ITA All-Americans and finish the 2024 spring season with a 16-5 record. The mark includes an 8-3 record against nationally ranked doubles tandems.
The final ITA doubles rankings for the season released next week will likely make them the highest ranked Louisville doubles pair ever. The highest ranked Cardinal duo in program history is currently Austen Childs and Simon Childs, who were ranked as high as sixth.
Results
#3 Robert Cash & JJ Tracy (OSU) def. #8 Etienne Donnet/Natan Rodrigues (UL) 6-2, 4-6, 12-10
Louisville knew it had an uphill battle to climb right from the first serve. Ohio State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening set. The Cardinals were able to regain a game before the Buckeyes rattled off another three. Ultimately, Ohio State won the first set 6-2.
The Cardinals did their best to get the early edge in the second set, winning the first game, and eventually taking a 3-1 lead. Ohio State went on to tie it up at 3-3 and 4-4, but UofL won its fifth game and then broke the Buckeyes for its sixth to take the set.
Donnet and Rodrigues made big moves to start the tiebreaker, similar to Thursday's quarterfinal match. The tandem made quick work of Ohio State to take a 4-1 lead. The Buckeyes immediately retaliated, scoring five straight points to lead 6-4. The Cards made their own 2-0 run to tie it back up at 6-6.
Louisville was one point away from advancing to the national championship, holding on to a score of 9-7, but Ohio State would not quit. The Buckeyes tied it up at 9-9 and then took a 10-9 lead. The Cards were able to hold them off for just one more point, tying it up at 10-10, before Ohio State proved to be too much. OSU claimed the final two points, winning the tiebreaker 12-10, to advance victoriously.
Despite the semifinal loss, Donnet & Rodrigues are ITA All-Americans and finish the 2024 spring season with a 16-5 record. The mark includes an 8-3 record against nationally ranked doubles tandems.
The final ITA doubles rankings for the season released next week will likely make them the highest ranked Louisville doubles pair ever. The highest ranked Cardinal duo in program history is currently Austen Childs and Simon Childs, who were ranked as high as sixth.
Results
#3 Robert Cash & JJ Tracy (OSU) def. #8 Etienne Donnet/Natan Rodrigues (UL) 6-2, 4-6, 12-10
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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UofL MTEN Etienne Donnet Post Match Interview 4-7-24
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UofL MTEN Matthew Fung Post Match Interview 4-7-24
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MTEN Natan Rodrigues - Post-Match Interview - March 3, 2024
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