Friday, April 21
Cayce, S.C.
11:45 A.M.
Creighton University
4
vs
1
#8 Villanova
Photo by: Travis Bell, Sideline Carolina Photography
Men’s Tennis Advances To Semifinals For First Time In Program History With 4-1 Victory Over #8 Villanova
4/21/2023 2:56:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Bluejays advance to face winner of Butler/DePaul on Saturday at 1 p.m.
CAYCE, S.C. – The No. 1 seeded Creighton men's tennis team open the BIG EAST Championships Presented by JEEP with a 4-1 victory over eighth-seeded Villanova on Friday afternoon at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center to advance to the semifinals for the first time in school history.
The win lifted the Bluejays to 13-6 on the year, while Villanova's season came to an end with an 8-15 overall record. Creighton advances to the semifinals round where they will take on the winner of No. 4 Butler or No. 5 DePaul.
The Bluejays stormed out of the gates with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles positions to secure the first point of the match. Junior Matthew Lanahan and sophomore Alejandro Gandini cruised to a 6-2 victory at the top doubles slot, while graduate transfer Oscar Alvarez and freshman Zachary Kuo clinched the doubles point with an identical 6-2 win on the No. 3 doubles court.
Creighton continued their winning way into singles play, earning straight set victories at the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 singles positions to clinch the 4-1 won over Villanova.
Alvarez got the Bluejays started with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Villanova's Justin Suarez on the No. 4 singles court, while graduate Casey Ross claimed a 6-4, 7-5 victory at the No. 2 singles slot to give Creighton a 3-0 lead.
Villanova, however, answered with a 6-2, 7-6 win at the No. 6 singles position to secure the Wildcats first point of the match, but Lanahan answered with a three-set victory at the top singles position to secure the win for the Bluejays.
Lanahan captured a 6-3 victory in set one and looked to be heading towards a straight set victory before Joshua Robinson rallied to secure a 7-6 victory in set two. Lanahan, however, responded with a 7-5 in the decisive third set to clinch the match for Creighton.
"This match was a real test for us," said head coach Tom Lilly. "Villanova stepped up in singles and pushed us really hard. We had plenty of opportunities in a few matches to clinch sooner but we dropped a few points that allowed Villanova to stay in it and make it a close one. We will need to play a bit looser tomorrow."
The Bluejays advanced to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championships Presented by JEEP, where they will take on the winner of No. 4 Butler or No. 5 DePaul at 1 p.m. at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center.
#1 Creighton 4, #8 Villanova 1
Apr 21, 2023 at Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center)
The win lifted the Bluejays to 13-6 on the year, while Villanova's season came to an end with an 8-15 overall record. Creighton advances to the semifinals round where they will take on the winner of No. 4 Butler or No. 5 DePaul.
The Bluejays stormed out of the gates with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles positions to secure the first point of the match. Junior Matthew Lanahan and sophomore Alejandro Gandini cruised to a 6-2 victory at the top doubles slot, while graduate transfer Oscar Alvarez and freshman Zachary Kuo clinched the doubles point with an identical 6-2 win on the No. 3 doubles court.
Creighton continued their winning way into singles play, earning straight set victories at the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 singles positions to clinch the 4-1 won over Villanova.
Alvarez got the Bluejays started with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Villanova's Justin Suarez on the No. 4 singles court, while graduate Casey Ross claimed a 6-4, 7-5 victory at the No. 2 singles slot to give Creighton a 3-0 lead.
Villanova, however, answered with a 6-2, 7-6 win at the No. 6 singles position to secure the Wildcats first point of the match, but Lanahan answered with a three-set victory at the top singles position to secure the win for the Bluejays.
Lanahan captured a 6-3 victory in set one and looked to be heading towards a straight set victory before Joshua Robinson rallied to secure a 7-6 victory in set two. Lanahan, however, responded with a 7-5 in the decisive third set to clinch the match for Creighton.
"This match was a real test for us," said head coach Tom Lilly. "Villanova stepped up in singles and pushed us really hard. We had plenty of opportunities in a few matches to clinch sooner but we dropped a few points that allowed Villanova to stay in it and make it a close one. We will need to play a bit looser tomorrow."
The Bluejays advanced to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championships Presented by JEEP, where they will take on the winner of No. 4 Butler or No. 5 DePaul at 1 p.m. at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center.
#1 Creighton 4, #8 Villanova 1
Apr 21, 2023 at Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Matthew Lanahan (CU) def. Joshua Robinson (VU) 6-3, 6-7, 7-5 |
| 2. Casey Ross (CU) def. Tighe Brunetti (VU) 6-4, 7-5 |
| 3. Alejandro Gandini (CU) vs. Eitan Khromchenko (VU) 6-7, 6-4, 4-1, unfinished |
| 4. Oscar Alvarez (CU) def. Justin Suarez (VU) 6-4, 6-3 |
| 5. Shin Inoue (CU) vs. Ryan Nguyen (VU) 6-4, 6-7, 1-1, unfinished |
| 6. Michael Fourticq (VU) def. Kirtan Patel (CU) 6-2, 7-6 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Matthew Lanahan/Alejandro Gandini (CU) def. Tighe Brunetti/Michael Fourticq (VU) 6-2 |
| 2. Casey Ross/Kirtan Patel (CU) vs. Joshua Robinson/Eitan Khromchenko (VU) 5-2, unfinished |
| 3. Oscar Alvarez/Zachary Kuo (CU) def. Justin Suarez/Ryan Nguyen (VU) 6-2 |
| Match Notes |
| #8 Villanova 8-15 |
| #1 Creighton 13-6 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (4,6,2,1) |
| BIG EAST Tennis Championships Quarterfinals |
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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