UVA men’s tennis repeats as national champions

The top-seeded UVA men’s tennis team (30-4) won its second-straight NCAA Championship with a 4-1 victory over No. 11 Oklahoma (20-11) on Tuesday (May 24) playing indoors at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla.

Sophomore Henrik Wiersholm (Kirkland, Wash.) clinched the victory by winning a tiebreaker in the second set at No. 6 singles.

In doubles, junior J.C. Aragone (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and sophomore Collin Altamirano (Sacramento, Calif.) cruised to a 6-1 victory at No. 3 doubles. Junior Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Charlotte, N.C.) and senior Mac Styslinger (Birmingham, Ala.) played a tight match at No. 2, but were broken when serving 5-5. Oklahoma held serve and tied it up with a 7-5 victory. On court one, senior Ryan Shane (Falls Church, Va.) and junior Luca Corinteli (Alexandria, Va.) held serve to take a 6-5 lead and then broke the Sooners to win 7-5 and secure the doubles point for the Cavaliers.

In singles, Aragone put the Cavaliers up 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Florin Bragusi on court five. Kwiatkowski, who earned the Outstanding Player of the Tournament honor, gave Virginia a 3-0 lead with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Spencer Papa. Ryan Shane fell 7-6, 6-0 to Andrew Harris to give Oklahoma its point. On court six, Wiersholm battled back from down two breaks to tie the match at 5-5, only to go back down a break. Wiersholm again battled back and tied it back up, 6-6, to force a tiebreaker. Wiersholm won the tiebreaker 7-2 to clinch the match. Sophomore Alexander Ritschard (Zurich, Switzerland) was serving to win his match on court four at the time Wiersholm won on six.

For the second-straight day, the Cavaliers endured a weather delay with lightning and rain moving the match indoors with an hour-late start time.

Aragone and Altamirano were named to the All-Tournament Team at No. 3 doubles with Corinteli and Shane also earning honors at No. 1. In singles, Wiersholm, Aragone, Ritschard and Kwitakowski all were named to the All-Tournament team.

Virginia and Oklahoma met last year in the NCAA final with the Cavaliers winning the program’s second NCAA title with a 4-1 victory over the Sooners in Waco, Texas.

 

Doubles

1. #4 Luca Corinteli/Ryan Shane (Virginia) def. #24 Axel Alvarez/Andrew Harris (Oklahoma), 7-5
2. Alex Ghilea/Spencer Papa (Oklahoma) def. #16 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski/Mac Styslinger (Virginia), 7-5
3. Collin Altamirano/J.C. Aragone (Virginia) def. Andre Biro/Austin Siegel (Oklahoma), 6-1

Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles

1. #97 Andrew Harris (Oklahoma) def. #8 Ryan Shane (Virginia), 7-6 (3), 6-0
2. #25 Axel Alvarez (Oklahoma) vs. #33 Collin Altamirano (Virginia), 7-5, 4-3 DNF
3. #9 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Virginia) def. #82 Spencer Papa (Oklahoma), 6-4, 6-4
4. #78 Alexander Ritschard (Virginia) vs. #61 Alex Ghilea (Oklahoma), 6-1, 1-6, 5-2 DNF
5. #110 J.C. Aragone (Virginia) def. Florin Bragusi (Oklahoma), 6-3, 6-4
6. Henrik Wiersholm (Virginia) def. Andre Biro (Oklahoma), 6-2, 7-6 (2)

Order of Finish: 5, 1, 3, 6