Men's Tennis Takes Part in 2014 USTA/ITA NIIC
11/6/2014 8:37:00 PM | Men's Tennis
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Five Columbia men's tennis players took the court on the first day of competition at the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Thursday. The Lions day did not go as planned, as each player sporting Columbia blue was eliminated from the main draws.
Richard Pham and Mike Vermeer were the lone Lions to make a tally in the win column as the sophomore-junior partnership downed No. 9 Ian Dempster and Robbie Mudge of North Carolina State. After being swept in the opening set in the Round of 32, 6-0, Pham and Vermeer rallied to a 6-3 second set victory and followed that triumph with a 10-6 tiebreaker decision to advance to the Round of 16.
Pham and Vermeer were on the opposite side of the net of the tournament's top-seed, South Carolina's Yannick Hanfmann and Roberto Quiroz. The 19th-ranked team in the nation ended Columbia's duo run with a 6-1, 6-3 decision.
Looking to defend their 2013 NIIC title, Ashok Narayana and Max Schnur drew a bye in the opening round of the doubles draw. The sixth-ranked pair's repeat hopes were put to a stop in the Round of 16 by UCLA's Mackenzie McDonald and Martin Relicki, who are tied for 31st in the ITA, 6-3, 6-4.
Narayana also competed in the singles draw. The 108th-ranked senior battled with No. 12 Austin Smith of Georgia, but in the end the Bulldog took the match, 6-3, 7-6(4).
Winston Lin rounded out Columbia's competitors as the eighth-ranked senior went head-to-head with North Carolina's Brayden Schnur. Lin fell behind 6-4 before bouncing back with a 7-6(5) win in the second set. The senior from Williamsville, New York, could not hold onto the momentum, however, as he fell to the seventh-ranked racquet in the third set, 7-5.
Columbia's NIIC journey will continue tomorrow as the Lions will take the court in the back draw.
Results
(ITA Ranking/Tournament Seed)
Men's Singles - Round of 32
Ashok Narayana lost to (No. 12) Austin Smith (Georgia) 6-3, 7-6(4)
(No. 8) Winston Lin lost to (No. 7) Brayden Schnur (North Carolina) 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5
Men's Doubles - Round of 32
Richard Pham/Mike Vermeer def. (No. 9) Ian Dempster/Robbie Mudge (NC State) 0-6, 6-3, 10-6
Men's Doubles - Round of 16
Richard Pham/Mike Vermeer lost to (No. 19/1) Yannick Hanfmann/Roberto Quiroz (USC) 6-1, 6-3
(No. 6) Ashok Narayana/Max Schnur lost to (T-31) Mackenzie McDonald/Martin Relicki (UCLA) 6-3, 6-4
