COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State’s Matej Vocel and Robert Cash will play for a national title. The Buckeye duo continued its run at the NCAA Doubles Championship on Friday, defeating South Carolina’s Connor Thomson and Daniel Rodrigues in comeback fashion in the third set.
South Carolina jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set before a brief rain delay moved the match indoors. Momentum swiftly shifted in favor of the Buckeyes. Vocel and Cash quickly won five straight games and won the first set 6-4.
South Carolina responded with an early 1-0, then 2-1 lead in the second. Vocel and Cash held on a big deuce point after being down 0-40 to tie the set at 2-2. Both teams continued to hold serve until 6-5 when South Carolina broke to win the set 7-5. Vocel and Cash showed their veteran composure in the tiebreaking set. After falling behind 8-5, the Buckeye duo rallied back to win five-consecutive points to win the set 10-8 and clinch their spot in the championship match. Cash had a great play at the night to tie the breaker at 8-8 and then Vocel hit a nice backhand winner up the middle for a 9-8 lead. Vocel then won the match with a closing ace.
Vocel and Cash are looking to become just the second Buckeye doubles team to win an NCAA Championship, joining Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola who won the title in 2012. Buchanan and Rola are also the only doubles team to even win the ITA All-American Championship, the ITA Fall National Championship and the NCAA Championship in the same season. Vocel and Cash can match that feat with a win on Saturday.
In Saturday’s final, Vocel and Cash will take on Richard Ciamarra and Cleeve Harper of Texas. They defeated VCU’s Charles and Maxence Bertimon in straight sets in the other semifinal. The doubles championship matches will start after the conclusion of the singles matches which start at noon ET.
Singles
May 23, 2022
r1 Sam Riffice (Florida) def. Cannon Kingsley (Ohio State) 7-5, 6-2
r1 Tadeas Paroulek (Baylor) def. James Trotter (Ohio State) 6-4, 6-4
r1 Matej Vocel (Ohio State) def. Murphy Cassone (Arizona State) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-3
r1 JJ Tracy (Ohio State) def. Dominik Barton (North Florida) 6-2, 6-1
May 24, 2022
r2 Matej Vocel (Ohio State) def. Filip Planinsek (Alabama) 6-2, 6-3
r2 JJ Tracy (Ohio State) def. Filippo Moroni (Wake Forest) 6-1, 6-3
May 25, 2022
r16 Gabriel Diallo (Kentucky) def. Matej Vocel (Ohio State) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
r16 Ben Shelton (Florida) def. JJ Tracy (Ohio State) 6-4,…
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