Arizona’s undefeated record in singles play Saturday in pre-qualifying matches gives the men’s tennis team high hopes for this week’s Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla.
Senior Bruno Alcala and freshman Jay Goldman advanced to today’s qualifying stages after posting an impressive combined 6-0 record over the weekend.
Alcala defeated No. 17-seeded Jose Perdomo of Ball State, 6-3, 7-6 (3) yesterday to win his pre-qualifying bracket, while Goldman beat Anders Dalskov of California-Santa Barbara, 7-5, 6-1 to win his.
“”Now that we’ve gotten this far, we want more,”” said UA head coach Tad Berkowitz.
Junior Peter Zimmer contributed to Saturday’s perfection by posting wins over Simon Childs of Louisville, 7-5, 6-3, and Sebastian Carlsson of LSU, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.
Zimmer’s closely fought third-round match against Texas’ Hubert Chodkiewicz ended in a loss yesterday, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-5.
Singles qualifying rounds run today through Wednesday, while the main draw continues Thursday through Sunday.
Arizona also sends two pairs into tomorrow’s first-round doubles qualifying event, as Goldman will pair up with senior Claudio Christen and Alcala and Zimmer will play together.
Alcala executed well from the start this weekend, closing out two tight matches against solid players, Berkowitz said.
“”He can play better tennis, but he’s finding a way to win, which is good,”” Berkowitz said. “”His confidence is growing, and he’s doing a good job. That’s something he needed.””
Goldman entered his first college tournament with high expectations for him, Berkowitz said, adding that he was impressed to see the newcomer already secure a qualifying bid.
Two Calif. tournaments keep women on pace
The California Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., brought progressive play this weekend, said UA assistant coach Brian Ramirez.
Natalia Toporowska fell to California’s Bojana Bobusic, 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3), in the quarterfinals Saturday, and Katie Orletsky lost to No. 5 seed Vanessa Heroux, 0-6, 7-5, 0-6, in second-round play.
Still, Toporowska’s early-round victories and ability to improve every week gives Ramirez more confidence in her, he said.
“”I was very happy with certainly the way she played with the focus there this week,”” Ramirez said. “”It’s clear she’s understanding what it is she needs to be doing.””
Ramirez also acknowledged Orletsky going beyond her comfort zone with how she approached her matches mentally.
In doubles play, the duo posted a 2-1 record over the weekend.
At the San Diego State Invitational, freshman Jane Huh split weekend play after defeating Kaja Smole of Denver, 7-5, 6-2, and falling to Pepperdine’s Jill Braverman, 3-6, 6-4, 12-10, in round two. She beat San Diego State’s Ellie Faulkner 6-3, 6-0 in a consolation match Saturday.
Senior Camelia Todorova dropped both her matches to San Diego’s Helene Lindstrand, 6-2, 6-0, and Rebecca Lin of Rice, 6-3, 6-1.
