EAST LANSING, Mich. – Day 3 at the ITA Regionals reversed the order of play as action started with singles first, followed by doubles. Sebastian Dominko easily dispatched his second round opponent from Ohio State 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the round of 16 in the main draw tomorrow.
Six other Notre Dame players were in the consolation draw which was played outside this morning. The Irish started out quickly on most courts, gaining early advantages en route to many first set wins. Yu Zhang was first off the court with a 6-0, 6-2 win over DePaul, followed shortly by Chase Thompson who took out a Wisconsin starter 6-3, 6-2. Kyran Magimay and Peter Nad both dropped their respective matches but not before they could extend them to third set tiebreaks. Brian Bilsey came back from a set down to beat his Wisconsin opponent 3-6, 6-2, 1-0(4). Jamie Corsillo capped off the singles portion of the day with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 over DePaul.
Doubles was next on the schedule with round of 16 play to begin indoors with three Irish teams still representing. Corsillo and Yu Zhang took on an Ohio State team for the second round in a row and for the second match in a row, they came out victorious. Their 8-2 win over the Buckeyes made them the first team into the quarterfinals. But only 90 seconds later, they were joined by Notre Dame teammates Dominko and Nad who defeated Western Michigan 8-5.
The run for both teams would end in the quarterfinals to two different Michigan State teams in large part to falling behind early. Dominko and Nad nearly pulled off the comeback after getting down 1-5 in the set and getting back to break points to even the match. But a response from the Spartans stopped the Irish momentum and the match ended up being an 8-5 loss for the Notre Dame duo. In the other quarterfinal represented by Corsillo and Zhang, a similar early break to the opponents meant the seniors were playing catch up the whole set, ultimately falling by an 8-5 score themselves to end the doubles for Notre Dame.
Dominko will continue play in mind draw singles action with his round of 16 match tomorrow morning against Komolpisut of Toledo. Those players that won their consolation match will also continue to compete as the backdrop will be played to conclusion. Bilsey, Thompson, Corsillo and Zhang will have have matches in the morning seeking to advance as well.
Day 3 Results
R32 Singles Main Draw
Dominko(ND) def. Day(OSU) 6-1, 6-2
Singles Consolation
Roegner(MU) def. Nad(ND)…