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mtennis_caa_2023
1
Elon ELON (15-9)
4
Winner UNCW UNCW (17-7)
Elon ELON
(15-9)
1
Final
4
UNCW UNCW
(17-7)
Winner

Match Recap: Men's Tennis | | Joe Browning

Seahawks Capture Ninth CAA Men's Tennis Crown

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia – No. 1 seed UNCW won the doubles point and added three singles victories to defeat No. 3 Elon, 4-1,  in the championship match of the 2023 Colonial Athletic Association Men's Tennis Championship on Sunday at William & Mary's McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center.
 
The Seahawks, 17-7, have won three consecutive conference championships and nine titles overall (2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023). It marked the second straight year that UNCW has beaten Elon, 15-9, in the finals.
 
cloud_nineUNCW earned the CAA's automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals. It will be the program's 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Seahawks, who will learn their postseason destination and opponent during the NCAA's special selection show on Monday night, competed in the Raleigh Regionals last May.
 
Playing indoors due to rain in the area, the match was a tight one early before the Seahawks pulled away. UNCW won the doubles point for the 11th time this season and relied on its depth in singles to nail down the win.
 
"Playing two of the three matches in the tournament indoors shows what kind of team we have," said UNCW Head Coach Mait DuBois "The guys just stepped up to the challenge. We always have a battle with Elon. They play hard and have talented players. We've enjoyed the rivalry…it brings out the best in both teams.
 
"We're going to enjoy the moment and get some rest. We're going to keep doing what we've been doing. These guys love playing the best teams. We'll be excited about playing in the NCAA Tournament."
 
UNCW took an early 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point in quick fashion. The No. 3 tandem of Gabe Hurtado and Bekhzod Rasamatov took just 32 minutes to cruise past Elon's Ben Zipay and Nicholas Contos, 6-1, before Reece Falck and Alex de Gabriele, playing No. 2 doubles, clinched the point with a 6-4 verdict over Oskar Antinheimo and Veljko Krstic, 6-4.
 
"We knew we could win without the doubles point, but we also knew they have three very strong players in the top three spots," said DuBois.
 
In singles, Rasamatov, a junior, raised the score to 2-0 with a 6-4, 6-3, decision over Condos at the No. 4 slot and sophomore Harold Huens kept the momentum going with a 6-0, 6-4, conquest of Nicholas Campbell at No 2 singles to stake the Seahawks to a 3-0 advantage.
 
After the Phoenix won at the top of the lineup to slice the deficit to 3-1, sophomore Trey Mallory of UNCW delivered the clincher – his third of the season – by outlasting Zipay, 7-6, 1-6, 6-2, at No. 6 singles.
 
DuBois said, "Trey's played great all year. His opponent almost played a perfect set in the second set. Trey came out on fire in the third set. I was really impressed with this play today."
 
The Seahawks have now won nine consecutive matches and 17 of their last 18 pairings in the conference tournament since 2017. UNCW stands 20-3 as the top seed in the event.
 
UNCW and Elon have played for the CAA crown three times in the last four years, with the Seahawks taking the last two championship matches.
 
#1 UNCW 4, #3 Elon 1
Apr. 30, 2023 | CAA Finals | McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center | Williamsburg, Va.

Singles
1. Daniel Martin (ELON) def. Reece Falck (UNCW), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
2. Harold Huens (UNCW) def. Nicholas Campbell (ELON), 6-0, 6-4
3. Gabe Hurtado (UNCW) vs. Veljko Krstic (ELON), 3-6, 6-1, 3-3, unfinished
4. Bekhzod Rasamatov (UNCW) def. Nicholas Condos (ELON), 6-4, 6-3
5. Davide Innocenti (UNCW) vs. Oskar Antinheimo (ELON), 6-2, 3-6, 1-2, unfinished
6. Trey Mallory (UNCW) def. Ben Zipay (ELON), 7-6 (7-3), 1-6, 6-2
 
Doubles
1. Drew Broadstreet/Trey Mallory (UNCW) vs. Nicholas Campbell/Daniel Martin (ELON), 4-5, unfinished
2. Alex de Gabriele/Reece Falck (UNCW) def. Oskar Antinheimo/Veljko Krstic (ELON), 6-4
3. Gabe Hurtado/Bekhzod Rasamatov (UNCW) def. Nicholas Condos/Ben Zipay (ELON), 6-1
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,2,1,6)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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