Ducks Come Up Short vs. Northwestern
EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon men's tennis team battled to the end vs. Northwestern today but came up short 4-3 in the Student Tennis Center.
The match was exciting throughout, starting with the doubles matches all going down to the wire. Oregon quickly got the first of two wins needed for the doubles point, with No. 10 ranked Joshua Charlton and Quinn Vandecasteele making quick work of Forman/Nordby by a score of 6-2. Northwestern got the second win out of the three matches, with Berdusco/Bratholm defeating Jesper Klov-Nilsson and Ivailo Keremedchiev 6-3. The point-clinching match was back and forth, before Ryoma Matsushita and Luke Vandecasteele secured the point for the Ducks, defeating Spear/Pickens 6-4.
With a 1-0 lead, the Ducks took momentum into singles. Oregon took the first match when L. Vandecasteele defeated Nordby 6-2, 6-2. The first dropped point of the day came at the completion of the second singles match when Q. Vandecasteele fell 6-4, 6-4. From there, the Ducks and Wildcats would trade points to leave it knotted at three-all.
Keremedchiev won the first set and was in good position in the third, but a late rally gave Trice Pickens of Northwestern the win, lifting the Wildcats over the Ducks 4-3.
Northwestern Wildcats 4, Oregon 3
Singles competition
1. Steven Forman (NU) def. Joshua Charlton (ORE) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
2. Simen Bratholm (NU) def. Quinn Vandecasteele (ORE) 6-4, 6-4
3. Trice Pickens (NU) def. Ivailo Keremedchiev (ORE) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
4. Jesper Klov-Nilsson (ORE) def. Presley Thieneman (NU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
5. Luke Vandecasteele (ORE) def. Felix Nordby (NU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Brian Berdusco (NU) def. Ryoma Matsushita (ORE) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Joshua Charlton/Quinn Vandecasteele (ORE) def. Steven Forman/Felix Nordby (NU) 6-2
2. Brian Berdusco/Simen Bratholm (NU) def. Jesper Klov-Nilsson/Ivailo Keremedchiev (ORE) 6-3
3. Ryoma Matsushita/Luke Vandecasteele (ORE) def. Natan Spear/Trice Pickens (NU) 6-4
Match Notes:
Northwestern Wildcats 9-2
Oregon 3-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,2,6,4,1,3)