Spartans Set For Run At College Tennis' Oldest Fall Tournament
9/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Sept. 17, 2009
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SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate men's tennis team got a little season-opening burst of confidence on Saturday at the USC Upstate Fall Tournament when the doubles teams of seniors Javier Tori and Renzo Airaldi and senior Jack Roux and sophomore Edgar Rodriguez both reached the finals of the `A' flight of the doubles competition before the teams decided to call it a day. Unfortunately, it didn't officially count. The quartet competed at the tournament unattached, which means the team will dive into deep water for its first official tournament of the season, playing at the 28-team Southern Intercollegiate Championships at possibly the most historic collegiate tennis venue in the nation, the Dan Magill Tennis Complex at the University of Georgia. Tori, Airaldi, Roux and Rodriguez will all compete at the event, with Tori and Airaldi in the Division I bracket and Roux and Rodriguez competing in the Division II Doubles Bracket. In singles play, Rodriguez and Tori will compete in the Division I bracket while Airaldi and Roux compete in Division II.
2008 Tournament Recap
Javier Tori's tremendous run at the prestigious Southern Intercollegiate Championships came to an end on Sept. 21, as Tori fell to Division II bracket championship bracket finalist Richard Cowden of Middle Tennessee State, 6-4, 6-3, in the quarterfinals. Tori was the first Upstate player in the Division I era to reach the quarterfinals at the Southern Intercollegiates, was plagued by cramps on Sunday after playing five sets on Saturday. Tori, playing in the Division II singles bracket, started the tournament with an impressive 6-2, 6-3 win over Central Florida's Brock Sakey. Tori opened Saturday with an impressive 6-1, 6-1 win over seven-seed Jacksonville's Jamie Esteban to earn a spot in the third round. In the third round, Tori ground out a three-set, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win against Duke's Luke Marchese.
Short Shots
• Thanks to his run to the quarterfinals in the Division II bracket in 2008, senior Javier Tori has a career .667 winning percentage at the Southern Intercollegiates, posting a 4-2 record. He went 1-1 in the Division I bracket in 2007.
• In 2007, Sandy Franz posted Upstate's first win over an ITA ranked player at the Division I level when he beat No. 91 Nestor Briceno, 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 at the Southern Intercollegiates.
• In two years of Division I play, the Spartans have a combined singles record of 87-46 (.654) at fall tournaments. In doubles play, the team is a combined 47-35 (.573).
• 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, who also earned the A-Sun Freshman of the Year award.
• Seniors Javier Tori and Jack Roux are in a battle for Upstate's career singles record. Tori currently holds the mark with 58 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 122, posting a 58-28 record in singles play and a 64-22 mark in doubles action.
• Seniors Jack Roux and Javier Tori have earned a spot in the qualifying doubles draw at the 2009 D'Novo/ITA All-American Championships. Roux, Tori and sophomore Edgar Rodriguez also earned bids into the pre-qualifying draw in singles play.
