MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Redshirt junior Ryan Lipman will represent Vanderbilt men’s tennis in the USTA/ITA Ohio Valley Regional Singles Championship match Tuesday morning at the Racquet Club of Memphis.
Going into the day, Lipman and Gonzales Austin were still alive in the quarterfinals. Both players then won their respective quarterfinal matches.
Lipman advanced to the semifinals after defeating the No. 7 seed, David O’Leary of Memphis, 6-1, 6-4. Austin won his quarterfinal match against Middle Tennessee State’s Ben Davis 6-2, 6-2.
Lipman and Austin were then forced to meet each other in the semifinals because of the way the bracket was set up. The two Commodores didn’t hold anything back as Lipman took the first set 7-5. Then in the second set with it tied up at three games apiece, Austin retired due to injury, giving Lipman the win and a spot in the championship match.
“They both (Austin and Lipman) played extremely well this weekend,” said Vanderbilt head coach Ian Duvenhage. “We definitely have two of the better tennis players in the country. It was a shame they had to play each other in the semifinals, but I think all-in-all it was a good weekend, not only for the two of them but for the whole team.”
The Nashville, Tenn., native will take on Tennessee’s Mikelis Libietis at 10 a.m. in the championship match.
The winner will get an automatic bid to the ITA National Indoor Tournament in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
Main Draw Results
Singles Semifinals:
(12) Ryan Lipman (Vanderbilt) def. (3) Gonzales Austin (Vanderbilt) 7-5, 3-3, retired
Singles Quarterfinals:
(12) Ryan Lipman (Vanderbilt) def. (7) David O’Leary (Memphis) 6-1, 6-4
(3) Gonzales Austin (Vanderbilt) def. (9) Ben Davis (Middle Tennessee) 6-2, 6-2
