#22 Virginia the 2021 season with a 7-0 win against Liberty Sunday at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.
Virginia won the doubles point and took a 6-0 lead after sweeping the first five singles courts in straight sets.
Freshman Iñaki Montes de la Torre (Pamplona, Spain) dropped his first set on court four, 6-4, but won his second 6-1 to force a third set. Montes went down 0-4 to Rafael Marques da Silva in the decider, but won five straight games to take a 5-4 lead.
The set was eventually knotted at 6-6, forcing a tiebreaker, which Montes won 7-1 to finish off the sweep for the Cavaliers.
Montes de la Torre and freshman Jeffrey von der Schulenburg (Zurich, Switzerland) clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 win.
Senior Gianni Ross (Chicago, Ill.) clinched the match victory with a 6-3, 6-2 win.
Virginia had three freshmen make their collegiate debuts in the match, with all three winning their singles matches. Chris Rodesch was the third, picking up a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles.
This was the Cavaliers’ first match since March 11, 2020, the last athletic event played by any UVA team in the spring
“It was a great effort across the board, double singles upperclassmen first years,” UVA coach Andres Pedroso said. “I thought we had great composure out there, and a really good start to the season. Can’t ask for anything more. Really proud of our first year’s in their first college match, especially in Iñaki Montes to come back from down 4-0. The upperclassmen were also solid, so we’re off to a good start.
“Before the match, we talked about gratitude and just being grateful to have this opportunity. And I told the guys to thank some people who played a role in making this possible for us. Having a season during a pandemic is a big deal. So thank you to the athletic department and the university, our fans, everybody, for being here to give us a chance of having a season. We’re so thankful.”
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Chris Graham
