The No. 55 ranked Oregon men’s tennis team (13-8, 2-6) broke its five match losing streak with a massive 4-1 upset over the No. 17 Stanford (13-9, 4-4) men’s tennis team.
The Oregon seniors showed up big time for their last home match of the 2022-2023 season and their Duck tennis career.
Prior to first-serve, players and families took to the court to honor Oregon’s graduating class: Joshua Charlton, Ivailo Keremedchiev, Jesper Klov-Nilsson and Luke Vandecasteele.
“Senior Day means a lot, not just to the coaches, but to all the players and fans,” Oregon men’s head coach Nils Schyllander said. “The boys have strong bonds, which makes sense when you spend more time with your teammates than you do with your own family. It’s bittersweet to see them go, but we are also really happy for them as they go into the next chapter of their lives.”
Both teams came out swinging. Points were fast, changeovers were even quicker, and pretty soon, the Cardinal claimed the doubles point.
Keremedchiev and Klov-Nilsson were quickly defeated 1-6 by Stanford’s Neel Rajesh and Arthur Fery. Fery, who is recovering from illness, returned to the Cardinal lineup in doubles today, but sat out of singles matchplay. On April 18th, the Stanford junior and Wimbledon native, earned his second Pac-12 Men’s Tennis Player of the Week award this season.
Oregon’s No. 34 Charlton and Quinn Vandecasteele (23-10) came up short against Aryan Chaudhary and Filip Kolasinski. The Duck duo lost three out of four crucial deciding deuce points. Stanford’s 6-4 win on the top court clinched the doubles point and suspended play on Court 3, where Vlad Breazu and Vandecasteele were down 4-5 to Max Basing and Nishesh Basavareddy.
The crowd felt the energy shift, as the Ducks seized the momentum going into singles play.
Vandecasteele brought the heat and the first Oregon singles victory to equalize the overall score to 1-1.
“This win feels pretty great; especially since it is the last match at home and my last ever match in Eugene,” Vandecasteele said.
The senior is 2-0 at the No. 6 singles position this weekend against two talented Pac-12 opponents. Vandecasteele’s experience and maturity helped secure his 6-1, 6-0 win over Anders Matta. The Stanford sophomore rushed through points and lost patience in long rallies.
“Playing at Oregon has meant everything,” Vandecasteele said after the match. “I don’t think I could have had the tennis career, academic career, or as much fun as I have had at Oregon, if I went somewhere else. It’s been quite a ride.”
Vandecasteele played his last match in the Student Tennis Center on the court next to his younger brother, Quinn.
“I’ve played every single match I have ever played at Oregon with Luke on the team,” Quinn Vandecasteele said. “So, it’s awesome for him to have a memorable farewell to Oregon, while beating such a good team on his Senior Day.”
Meanwhile, on Court 3, Klov-Nilsson stuck to his game and played textbook tennis. The senior Swede defeated Kolasinski 6-2, 6-3. For the first time this Senior weekend, the Ducks held a lead.
Oregon tallied up another singles win on the top court, where Charlton dominated Basing 6-0, 6-4. Charlton had led the Ducks at the No. 1 position for four of his five years at Oregon. His departure will open up a big spot to fill at the top of the doubles and singles lineup.
To seal the win, Oregon needed either Quinn, Keremedchiev or Breazu to win their match.
At the time, both Quinn and Keremedchiev were on track to win the second set and force a third set with their respective Stanford opponents.
Therefore, all attention went to Court 5, as Breazu had the closest and quickest shot of securing the victory.
The Romanian freshman had won a close first set tiebreak against Isaac Gorelik. He was ahead 4-2 in the second, when all eyes watched closely on him and Gorelik.
The rallies were long, and both players kept running around their backhands. In the end, Breazu hit his inside-out forehand harder and more consistently. The young Duck clinched the upset, just as Quinn got the second set on Court 2 and Keremedchiev began his third.
Breazu let out a roar that echoed throughout the center and sent his teammates rushing towards him. Fans erupted in the crowd, along with the families of all the Oregon seniors.
“It was great to have my parents and all of the international parents in the crowd today,” Quinn said. “They are all very supportive and bring up the Duck energy.”
“I am so stoked for them to win their last home match against a team like Stanford,” Schyllander said. “Now, the boys need a day off and to treat their bodies right before next week.”
The Ducks will face their long standing rival, the University of Washington, in the first round of the Pac-12 Tennis Championships next Wednesday in Ojai, California. The match time is still to be determined.
“It’s always fun to play against UW,” Vandecasteele said. “They’re loud and they come at us. They always play better because they’re playing us; and we play better, too, because we’re playing them. I look forward to it.”
