SEATTLE – Last year the Dawgs had one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Pac-12 Men’s Tennis Championships, knocking off regular season champion Arizona in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats, co-champions this season and the No. 2 seed, did not let the Dawgs have an encore performance this year, posting a 4-0 victory over UW today at Libbey Park.
Washington (12-11) will now have to wait until this coming Monday, May 1, and tune in to the NCAA Selection Show to see if it earns an at-large bid to the national championships. The Dawgs came into this week ranked No. 43, typically on the at-large bubble, though conference tournament results around the country this weekend will shake things up a bit more.
The doubles point provided the main drama today, and if the Huskies had pulled it out, things might have unfolded differently in singles play. It came down to a tiebreaker at No. 3 doubles, after the teams had split the top two courts. Han-Chih Lin and Brett Pearson had to save deciding/match points while serving down 4-5 and again at 5-6, holding to get into the breaker, but Arizona’s Strom/Padgham won four of the first five points and earned the 7-2 win to clinch.
Cesar and Dzianis stay hot at the top spot! ??
They beat Arizon’a 42nd-ranked tandem, 6-1.
Doubles point will hinge on court 3, where it’s 4-5 on serve.#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/aPtb4FBIck
— Washington Men’s Tennis (@UW_MTennis) April 27, 2023
UW’s 56th-ranked duo of Cesar Bouchelaghem and Dzianis Zharyn earned a 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles over 42nd-ranked Ziverts/Friend, but Arizona matched that with a 6-1 win on the No. 2 court.
Arizona took that momentum and posted three straight set wins in singles to close out the victory. Jay Friend snapped Jim Hendrikx’s three-match win streak with a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 5. Sophomore Nedim Suko fell at No. 4 singles, 6-2, 6-3, to Herman Hoeyeraal. And 71st-ranked Cesar Bouchelaghem lost for just the second time in 2023, dropping a 6-2, 6-2 match to 41st-ranked Jonas Ziverts.
The NCAA Selection Show is schedule for 3:30 p.m. Pacific this coming Monday.
Washington Men’s Tennis
Pac-12 Championships
April 27, 2023
Ojai, Calif. | Libbey Park
Quarterfinals
7-seed (#43) Washington – 0
2-seed (#14) Arizona – 4
Singles
1. Han-Chih Lin (UW) vs. (#67) Colton Smith (Ariz) – 2-6, 4-5, DNF
2. (#41) Jonas Ziverts (Ariz) def. (#71) Cesar Bouchelaghem (UW) – 6-2, 6-2
3. Dzianis Zharyn (UW) vs. (#113) Gustaf Strom (Ariz)…
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