Two Ducks remain alive in the Pacific-10 conference Tennis Championships in Ojai, Calif.
Senior Guillermo Carter has all but clinched a spot in the NCAA individual championships with two singles wins Thursday. After falling the first set against Stanford’s Scotty Scott, Carter stormed back, winning his first round match, 1-6, 6-2, 7-6.
In the round of 16, Carter upended Southern California’s Nick Rainey, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. The 36th-ranked senior will face UCLA’s Jean-Julien Rojer in the quarterfinals today.
Sophomore Thomas Schneiter also advanced to the Pac-10 quarterfinals, making it the first time two Ducks have ever reached the round of eight. Schneiter defeated Washington’s Jeremy Berman, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. Arizona’s Alex Aybar became Schneiter’s second victim, falling 6-4, 7-6.
Schneiter will face No. 15 K.J. Hippensteel of Stanford in the quarter finals.
“This was a heck of an effort from these two guys,” head coach Chris Russell said in a released statement. “They were really, really impressive, staving off elimination. They showed a lot of courage and heart, and that’s what we’ve been looking for all year. It was really a phenomenal effort.”
Oregon’s other entrants, senior Joaquin Hamdan and freshman Oded Teig, both fell in first round action. Arizona State’s Matt Klinger defeated Teig, 6-2, 7-5. Hamdan fell to Stanford’s No. 12 Geoff Abrams, 6-4, 6-1.
All of Oregon’s women have been eliminated from singles play. Alina Wygonowska’s fourth NCAA bid is uncertain, as the No. 61 senior lost to Arizona’s Uzma Khan, 6-0, 7-6.
No. 62 freshman Monika Geiczys lost to Southern California’s No. 56 Kara Warketin, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
The top 64 players in the country are selected for the NCAA tournament. Although Wygonowska and Geiczys are both in the top 64, their future in singles is uncertain.
Sophomore Janice Nyland lost despite a good first set. Arizona State’s Karin Palme defeated Nyland, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
The women’s hopes for the NCAA tournament now lie in the doubles combo of Wygonowska and Geiczys, who play UCLA’s Elizibeth Schmidt and Abigail Spears at 11 a.m. today.