Golden Eagle tennis caps off fall slate with impressive display at UTC Steve Baras Invite
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team smacked an exclamation point at the end of its fall schedule behind a stellar showing in the Steve Baras Invite in Chattanooga.
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Athletics Media Relations
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team smacked an exclamation point at the end of its fall schedule behind a stellar showing in the Steve Baras Invite in Chattanooga.
Oliver Dao helped highlight Tech's strong performance with a Singles Draw A championship as the Golden Eagles combined for 11 singles victories in the event. Dao's title was also one of five solo crowns claimed by the purple and gold with Davd Spaks securing a co-championship in the Singles Draw D, while Murilo Burckhardt, Ricard Garavi Yepez and Elyad Oshnavie all took home consolidation championships.
Dao's run featured a perfect 3-0 singles mark after first picking up a 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 win over Jacksonville State's Marko Milosavljevic in the quarterfinals before topping Wofford's Vlademar Dubin 6-3, 4-6, 10-5 in the semis and Jacksonville State's David Krasner 6-4, 6-1 in the championship clash.
Davids Spaks came back sharp in his first singles action since February, rolling to a Singles Draw D co-championship after the title tilt was cancelled due to rain. The Tech junior out of Liepaja, Latvia captured a 6-4, 6-4 win over Zach Murphy and a 6-2, 6-3 triumph against Carter Ramthun.
Murilo Burckhardt's Singles Draw B consolation title saw the Golden Eagle junior claim a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Jacksonville State's Timo De Visser and a 6-3, 6-4 nod over Chattanooga's Jaxon Lamb after first falling to Wofford's Julian Brager-Carlsen with a 7-6 (5), 2-6 defeat.
Ricard Garavi Yepez bounced back after a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Wofford's Jack Burdell in the Singles Draw C bracket on the way to a consolation crown. The TTU sophomore notched a 4-6, 6-2, 11-9 victory against Chattanooga's Tristan Ryerson in a battle that saw Garavi Yepez fight off match point with a 60-shot rally before taking home the consolation title thanks to a 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 nod against UNC Greensboro's Andrew Black.
Elyad Oshnavie found similar success on the way to a Singles Draw E consolation championship with back-to-back solo wins following an initial 6-2, 7-5 setback to Woffod's Hugo Rask. The Asker, Norway native seized a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over Chattanooga's Jackson Orsega before securing a 6-0, 6-3 decision against Austin Peay's Lucas Ranciaro to take the title.
As far as doubles play is concerned, the Tech tandem of Oliver Dao and Murilo Burckhardt made the finals of the Doubles A Draw after winning two straight tangles, highlighted by a victory over the University of Tennessee in the semifinals. The purple and gold pair first topped Jacksonville State's Timo De Visser and Aman Dahiya with an 8-6 triumph before powering past the Vols' combo of Woodson McMIllin and Woohyuk Chang in the semifinals. Dao and Burckhardt ultimately fell 8-2 in the championship contest to Tennessee State's Taj Hibbert and Adler Germinal.
TTU's other doubles duo of Ricard Garavi Yepez and Elyad Oshnavie went 0-2 over the weekend with an 8-4 loss to Austin Peay's Bodi Van Galen and Felipe De La Hormaza and an 8-6 defeat to Chattanooga's Jackson Orsega and Sebastian Johnson.
