Tucson, Ariz. – The Arizona men’s tennis team ended their 2014 campaign on Wednesday, falling to No. 57 Utah 4-0 at the Pac-12 Championships in Ojai, Calif.
"I am so proud of the guys for the way they competed all season," head coach Tad Berkowitz said. "We had a couple of tough breaks during the year but the guys kept moving forward without looking back. I give them a lot of credit for that. This season will definitely make us tougher as we head into next year."
The Cats faced an early 1-0 deficit after dropping the doubles point. Slim Hamza and Cedic Willems defeated Naoki Takeda and Sumeet Shinde 8-6, while Kieren Thompson and Mario Urquidi fell to Ben Tasevec and Devin Lane 8-2. court three was left unfinished as Matt Dunn and Trevor James were tied with Matt Cowley and Alejandro Medinilla at five points apiece.
Arizona couldn’t turn it around in singles, as Takeda retired down 3-0 in the second set after dropping the first 6-0 to Tasevac.
Robin Chou was the next to fall, as he was beaten by Cowley in straight sets 6-1, 6-2.
The match was clinched for the Utes when Kieren Thompson fell on court one to Hamza 6-4, 6-1.
"Utah played very well today and deserved the win," Berkowitz said. "We had a tough break with the injury to Naoki in doubles and obviously I would have liked to have seen how things would have played out if he was healthy. All in all Utah played very well and got us today."
For next season, the team loses Thompson, Urquidi, and Dominic Bermudez but returns nine including Takeda and Shinde.
For continued coverage of Arizona men’s tennis, visit ArizonaWildcats.com, follow @ArizonaMTennis on Twitter and Instagram, and on Facebook at facebook.com/ArizonaMensTennis.
Doubles
1. Slim Hamza/Cedric Willems (UTAH) def. Naoki Takeda/Sumeet Shinde (ARIZ), 8-6
2. Ben Tasevac/Devin Lane (UTAH) def. Mario Urquidi/Kieran Thompson (ARIZ), 8-2
3. Matt Dunn/Trevor James (UTAH) vs. Matt Cowley/Alejandro Medinilla (ARIZ), 5-5 unfinished
Order of Finish: 2,1
Singles
1. Slim Hamza (UTAH) def. Kieren Thompson (ARIZ) 6-4, 6-1
2. Ben Tasevac (UTAH) vs. Naoki Takeda (ARIZ) 6-0, 3-0 ret.
3. Alejandro Medinilla (UTAH) vs. Sumeet Shinde (UTAH) 6-4, 5-4 unfinished
4. Cedric Willems (UTAH) vs. Mario Urquidi (ARIZ) 7-6(4), 2-6, 2-0 unfinished
5. Will Kneale (ARIZ) vs. Devin Lane (UTAH) 7-5, 5-4 unfinished
6. Matt Cowley (UTAH) def. Robin Chou (ARIZ) 6-1, 6-2
Order of Finish: 2,6,1
