Upstate Heads To UNC For Wilson/ITA Carolina Regionals
10/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Oct. 15, 2009
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SPARTANBURG, S.C. - After a week-long odyssey at the D'Novo/ITA All-American Championships, the USC Upstate men's tennis team has taken a week off to relax and get set for its final tournament of the fall, as the team starts play at the ITA Carolina Regionals on Friday with qualifying play at the University of North Carolina's Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
The ITA Regionals will see four Spartans looking to reach the ITA Indoor National Championships, needing to reach win either the singles or doubles bracket to reach the next round. Upstate has had success at the event before, with senior Renzo Airaldi reaching the doubles semifinals with partner Sandy Franz in 2007. Senior Jack Roux has won four matches at the event and senior Javier Tori has won two matches.
2008 Tournament Recap
The USC Upstate men's tennis team wrapped up its play in the ITA Mideast Regionals on the campuses of the University of North Carolina and Duke University on Friday afternoon. Junior Jack Roux advanced through the qualifying rounds of singles play on Oct. 16 before falling in a three-set match in the main draw on Oct. 17. Roux, who opened the tournament with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Callum Gee of Davidson. He followed that with his 40th career singles win, coming back in dramatic style to defeat the College of Charleston's Michael Boyer, 7-5, 0-6, 7-6 (5). On Friday, he ran into Virginia Commonwealth's Thibaut Charron. After Roux fell in the first set, 6-2, he saved five match points in a dramatic second-set tiebreaker, 11-9, to win the set, 7-6. Down 5-2 in the third set, Roux started another come back, breaking Charron's serve and coming within a game at 5-4, before Charron closed out the set with a 6-4 win.
Short Shots
• As a sophomore, Renzo Airaldi advanced to the semifinals of the ITA Mideast Regionals with partner Sandy Franz '09, as the pair won four matches in the main draw at the event.
• Senior Javier Tori became the first player in school history to reach 60 career singles wins at the D'Novo/ITA All-American Championships, winning his first two pre-qualifying matches at the event.
• Sophomore Edgar Rodriguez became the first singles player in school history to advance to the qualifying draw at the D'Novo/ITA All-American Championships, as he posted a 2-2 record at the event, winning two pre-qualifying matches.
• Seniors Javier Tori and Jack Roux came one match shy of reaching the main draw at the D'Novo/ITA All-American Championships, winning two qualifying doubles matches at the event.
• In two years of Division I play, the Spartans have a combined singles record of 93-54 (.633) at fall tournaments. In doubles play, the team is a combined 49-38 (.563).
• The Spartans finished the 2009 season ranked 70th in the nation, marking the eighth time in the past nine years that the team held an ITA postseason ranking, including their last seven years of Division II play.
• The 2009 Spartans tied an Atlantic Sun Conference record as six players earned All-A-Sun honors, including seniors Renzo Airaldi, Javier Tori and Jack Roux and sophomore Edgar Rodriguez.
• Seniors Javier Tori and Jack Roux are in a battle for Upstate's career singles record. Tori currently holds the mark with 60 wins, but Roux is right behind with 57.
• Senior Jack Roux set a school record with 46 combined wins during his junior season, as he posted a 22-9 record in singles play and a 24-6 mark in doubles action.
• Senior Javier Tori holds the schools career record for combined wins with 126, posting a 60-30 record in singles play and a 66-24 mark in doubles action.
