Columbia
ESPN/Florida State Invitational
Men's Tennis Competes at 2014 USTA Collegiate Clay Court Invitational
11/3/2014 1:24:00 PM | Men's Tennis
ORLANDO, Fla. – Four members of the Columbia men's tennis team took the court at the 2014 USTA Collegiate Clay Court Invitational presented by VISIT FLORIDA at the ESPN Wide World of Sports over the weekend. Juniors Eric Rubin and Mike Vermeer, sophomore Richard Pham and first-year Daniel Grunberger all represented the Lions in Columbia Blue.
Vermeer posted the best performance on the court for the Lions as the No. 107 ranked singles player downed Central Florida's Nicolo De Fraia and Miami's Nile Clark by identical scores of 6-3, 6-2, to advance to the round of 16 in the Men's Singles A Draw. Vermeer's run ended in the ensuing match against Nick Cyrstal of Southern California as the Trojan handed the sixth-seeded Lion a 4-6, 7-6(4) setback.
Vermeer's classmate Rubin also picked up a victory in the Men's Single A bracket. The Long Beach, New York, native took down Simon Julin of Stetson before clashing with Florida State's Cristian Conzalez Mendez, who ranks 103 in the ITA. Rubin could not outlast the seventh seed's racquet as he fell 4-6, 7-6(4).
Grunberger and Pham also took the court in the Men's Singles A Draw but both fell in the opening round. Grunberger dropped a 6-4, 7-5 decision to eighth-seeded Eduardo Segura of Georgia Tech, while Pham fell to Bernard Tefel of Miami, 7-5, 6-3. In the consolation rounds Grunberger picked up wins over Auburn's Joseph Van Dooren (6-1, 7-6(3)) and Stetson's Laurynas Antropikas (6-4, 6-0). Pham split his consolation matches as the Satartoga, California, local defeated Juan Troglia (4-6, 6-2, 1-0(2)) of South Alabama before falling to Parker Eversten of Florida State (1-6, 7-6(4), 1-0(8)).
In doubles, Pham and Vermeer teamed up for an 8-4 triumph over Central Florida's tandem of Arjun Watane and Nico De Fraia in the Men's A Doubles Round of 16 before falling to Florida's pair of Chase Perez-Blanco and Jordan Belga, 8-5.
Grunberger and Rubin partnered on the doubles court in the Men's B Doubles Draw, but could not outlast Georgia Tech's Cole Fiegel and Michael Kay, 8-5.
Pham and Vermeer's fall continues as the duo is set to team up at the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Nov. 6-9 along with the Lions pair of Ashok Narayana and Max Schnur and Winston Lin.
Results
Singles
Daniel Grunberger 2-1
Men's Singles A Round of 64 - lost to (8) Eduardo Segura (GT) 6-4, 7-5
Men's Consolation A – def. Joseph Van Dooren (AU) 6-1, 7-6 (3)
Men's Consolation Friday – def. Laurynas Antropikas (SU) 6-4, 6-0
Richard Pham 1-2
Men's Singles A Round of 64 - lost to Bernard Tefel (UM) 7-5, 6-3
Men's Consolation A – def. Juan Troglia (USA) 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (2)
Men's Consolation Friday – lost to Parker Eversten (FSU) 1-6, 7-6(4), 1-0(8)
Eric Rubin 1-1
Men's Singles A Round of 64 – def. Simon Julin (SU) 6-1, 6-1
Men's Singles A Round of 32 – lost to (7) Cristian Gonzalez Mendez (FSU) 4-6, 7-6(4)
(107/6) Mike Vermeer 2-1
Men's Singles A Round of 64 - def. Nicolo De Fraia (UCF) 6-3, 6-2
Men's Singles A Round of 32 – def. Clark (UM) 6-3, 6-2
Men's Singles A Round of 16 – lost to Nick Crystal (USC) 7-5, 7-5
Doubles
Grunberger/Rubin
Men's B Doubles Round of 16 – Lost to Fiegel/Kay (GT) 8-5
(4) Pham/Vermeer
Men's A Doubles Round of 16 – def. Watane/De Fraia (UCF) 8-4
Men's A Doubles QF – lost to Perez-Blanco/Belga (UF) 8-5
Players Mentioned
