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Ducks Drop BYU, 5-2, in Season Opener

Jan 29, 2021

Box Score | Oregon 5, BYU 2

EUGENE, Ore. – With a hotly contested doubles point in hand, the University of Oregon men's tennis team won four of six singles matches Friday evening on its way to a 5-2, season-opening victory over BYU. The Ducks were playing their first match since March 8, 2020—a span of 327 days.
 
Oregon (1-0) and BYU (2-1) will play again Saturday at 12 p.m. Spectators are not allowed at UO home events but fans are encouraged to follow along via match stream and live results.
 
"it was fantastic being back," head coach Nils Schyllander said following the victory. "I think we did a really good job of competing and fighting as a group. It was fun to see. The fight we had in doubles shows the fight in his group. It was huge because that put the momentum on our side."
 
The doubles point came down to the No. 3 court where the UO team of Emmanuel Coste and Jesper Klov-Nilsson fought off three match points in a lengthy tiebreaker and pulled through with a 7-6(11) victory. Coste and Klov-Nilsson trailed 4-1 early in the match before rallying.
 
Oregon grabbed the early advantage in doubles play with Joshua Charlton and Brandon Lam cruising to a 6-0 triumph at the No. 1 spot. The visitors pulled even with a 7-6(6) decision on court two forcing the attention to the remaining matchup.
 
Playing at No. 3 singles, freshman Quinn Vandecasteele was the first Duck off the court on the strength of his straight-set win over Mateo Vereau Melendez. Vandecasteele's 6-1, 6-2 win gave Oregon the 2-0 match lead. He played doubles with his brother Luke earlier in the day.
 
"I hadn't played a match since the beginning of last March so it was great to be out there," freshman Quinn Vandecasteele said. "It was a little tough without the energy from fans but teammates on the side were great in getting loud for us and providing some energy."
 
Klov-Nilsson and Luke Vandecasteele secured the Ducks' victory with wins at the No. 6 and 4 spots in the lineup, respectively. The home team picked up its fifth and final point of the night from Emmanuel Coste and a 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 victory in the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Coste enters the year ranked No. 76 in the ITA preseason release.
 
"I feel like we have a really solid group," Schyllander said. "They were really feeding off each other all match. Now we have to make sure we go and do the little things right—eat well, get some rest—to be ready for tomorrow because (BYU) is a good team and they showed it today."
 
BYU got its two points from No. 98 Sean Hill in the top spot and Ben Gajardo at No. 5 singles.
 
Oregon 5, BYU 2
Doubles
1. Charlton/Lam (ORE) def. Vereau Melendez/Ferreira Leite (BYU) – 6-0
2. Gajardo/Tullis (BYU) def. Vandecasteele/Vandecasteele (ORE) – 7-6(6)
3. Coste/Klov-Nilsson (ORE) def. Hill/Barnett (BYU) – 7-6(11)
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
 
Singles
1. No. 98 Sean Hill (BYU) def. No. 30 Joshua Charlton (ORE) – 5-7, 6-1, 1-0(5)
2. No. 76 Emmanuel Coste (ORE) def. Jack Barnett (BYU) – 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
3. Quinn Vandecasteele (ORE) def. Mateo Vereau Melendez (BYU) – 6-1, 6-2
4. Luke Vandecasteele (ORE) def. Sam Tullis (BYU) – 7-5, 6-2
5. Ben Gajardo (BYU) def. Ryoma Matsushita (ORE) – 6-4, 6-4
6. Jesper Klov-Nilsson def. Dominik Jakovljevic (BYU) – 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 6, 4*, 5, 2, 1
* - clincher
 
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