Set to start at 1 p.m. on Friday, in a match that should have lasted two hours, the Roadrunners endured a two-day deviation after cutting their matches short due to rain delays. UTSA lost 4-3 to Texas Tech on Saturday at the UTSA Tennis Center.
The ‘Runners (3-3) were determined to defend The Birdcage despite dropping their doubles point to the Red Raiders (5-3). The intensity of Friday’s singles matches trickled into Saturday’s, as four players had to carry out their third sets. With the score at 3-2, the competition between the two schools neared its end, but the weight of the match rested on the shoulders of senior Tiago Torres and freshman Ben Chetewy Ungar to win their singles and close out the game.
“This was a perfect college match. Coming down to the last match, there was a lot of energy, a lot of excitement,” coach Sasha Gozun said. “But I’m just proud of how they fought coming back today.”
Torres closed out his singles the same way he opened up his doubles, fighting off Piotr Pawlak. Coming from their unfinished doubles match, Torres got a second chance to take down his Polish adversary during singles. The two exchanged points and words over three sets, but Torres ultimately beat out Pawlak to tie the score at 3-3 on Saturday.
“He’s a firecracker; he’s very competitive,” Gozun said. “And that sometimes can get in the way of things, especially today with some calls that kind of got to him a little bit.”
“But tennis, college tennis, is such a great atmosphere. For the fans to enjoy a little bit of trash-talking and the mind games, it was kind of just a fight for power out there,” Gozun said of Torres.
After Torres finished his third set, he joined the team to cheer on Ungar as he inched closer to match point. Ungar claimed the first set but dropped the second and third to Ludovico Vaccari 6-4, 0-6, 5-7.
“He had chances, he had a match point,” Gozun said, referring to Ungar. “But it’s just good for him to experience that loss and know what not to do in the future.”
In spite of their loss, the men’s tennis team showcased just how gritty they can be in the face of adversity, especially when facing challenges head-on.
“Coming in as a new coach, I wanted to add a little bit of my culture into this program. One of the things we establish as a program, as a team, is that we’re gonna love the adversity,” Gozun said regarding the team’s outlook on their loss. “Anytime something challenging happens, just laugh at it and get ready for the next point. Have a short-term memory and just come back to the next point stronger.”
UTSA will be back to defend The Birdcage against the Florida Atlantic Owls at 2 p.m. Friday at UTSA Tennis Center.
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