MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Gonzales Austin and Ryan Lipman each won their singles round of 16 matches on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA Ohio Valley Regional at the Racquet Club of Memphis.
Lipman upset the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Anthony Rossi of Kentucky, in the round of 16 to move on to the quarterfinals. Lipman and Rossi battled the entire match as it went three sets before the junior, Lipman, won 6-3, 6-7, 6-4. The Nashville, Tenn., native even had a 5-1 lead in the second set before a furious comeback by Rossi.
Lipman faces David O’Leary of Memphis Monday morning at 10 a.m. to advance to the semifinals.
“I thought Ryan (Lipman) did a sensational job,” said Vanderbilt head coach Ian Duvenhage. “This is the best tennis he has played in two years. He beat a really good player and he did it under very trying circumstances. The quality of tennis was extremely high, so that was fun to see. I’m happy for him because he needed the validation for the hard work he’s done in the last two years.”
Austin advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Johnny Grimal of Memphis 7-5, 7-6. Though it only took two sets, Grimal gave Austin everything he had and would not go down without a fight. The sophomore, Austin, will play Middle Tennessee State’s Ben Davis Monday morning at 10 a.m. for a spot in the semifinals.
“We knew that his (Austin) opponent was going to be a tough out, but he won the big points and he’s been doing that fairly consistently this year,” Duvenhage said. “No matter how close the match is, AJ (Austin) finds a way to win the big points.”
Michael Retta was defeated in his third round consolation singles match by IUPUI’s Jason Jaruvang 7-6, 6-1.
Monday’s Schedule is as follows:9 a.m. Championship Doubles Final10 a.m. Championship Singles Quarterfinals (Lipman v. O’Leary, Austin v. Davis)11 a.m. Championship Singles Quarterfinals (Jomby vs. Glennon, Libietis vs. Salisbury)1:30 p.m. Champinship Singles Semifinals (winners of 10 a.m. matches)2:30 p.m. Championship Singles Semifinals (winners of 11 a.m. matches)
Main Draw Results
Round of 16 Singles:
(3) Gonzales Austin (Vanderbilt) def. Johnny Grimal (Memphis) 7-5, 7-6
(12) Ryan Lipman (Vanderbilt) def. (1) Anthony Rossi (Kentucky) 6-3, 6-7, 6-4
Consolation Results
Third Round Singles:
Jason Jaruvang (IUPUI) def. Michael Retta (Vanderbilt) 7-6, 6-1
