EUGENE, Ore. -- Washington kicked things off at its final fall competition on Friday, with four Huskies competing against a largely Pacific Northwest field in the Duck Invitational, hosted by Oregon at the Student Tennis Center.
Freshmen Nedim Suko and Rikuto Yamaguchi, junior Jack Pulliam and sophomore Brandon Wong all made the trip.
Suko and Yamaguchi each advanced into the semifinals of the Green Draw on Friday. Suko had straight set wins over opponents from Portland and New Mexico, while Yamaguchi battled through consecutive three setters to win. In the first round, Yamaguchi beat Eleftherios Neos of Portland, 7-6 (2), in the third. He had a dramatic comeback in the quarters, trailing 6-7 and 0-4 before winning 12 of the next 13 games for a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-1 win over Oregon's Luke Vandecasteele.
Pulliam had a first round win over Oliver Fernandez in the Yellow Draw but fell in the quarterfinals to Oscar Brown of Portland.
Washington Men's Tennis
Duck Invitational
Friday-Sunday, Nov. 12-14, 2021
Eugene, Ore. | Student Tennis Center
Singles
Green Draw
R16: Nedim Suko (UW) def. Julien Penzlin (UP) - 6-4, 6-3
R16: Rikuto Yamaguchi (UW) def. Eleftherios Neos (UP) - 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (2)
QF: Nedim Suko (UW) def. Arda Azkara (UNM) - 6-4, 6-4
QF: Rikuto Yamaguchi (UW) def. Luke Vandecasteele (Ore) - 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-1
Yellow Draw
R16: Jack Pulliam (UW) def. Oliver Fernandez (PSU) - 6-4, 7-5
QF: Oscar Brown (UP) def. Jack Pulliam (UW) - 6-4, 7-5
Doubles
Main Draw
R16: Pulliam/Wong (UW) def. AbdulSalam/Samaha (UNM) - 8-5
R16: Suko/Yamaguchi (UW) def. Hsu/Fernandez (PSU) - 8-3
QF: Penzlin/Tvedt (UP) def. Pulliam/Wong (UW) - 8-4
QF: Shugar/Matsushita (Ore) def. Suko/Yamaguchi (UW) - 8-7 (2)