Like many runs of glory, this one ended in a loss.
The Oregon men’s tennis team’s incredible showing at the Pacific-10 Conference Championships in Ojai, Calif., was capped by senior Guillermo Carter and freshman Leslie Eisinga’s appearance in the finals of doubles competition.
Unfortunately, the duo came up short, narrowly falling to UCLA’s fifth-ranked Brandon Kramer and Jong-Min Lee. Carter and Eisinga won the first set, 6-3, then spotted UCLA the second set, 2-6. In the deciding third-set No. 39 Oregon team pushed Kramer and Lee to the brink but fell in overtime, 7-5.
The doubles team is almost assured an NCAA tournament berth, as are Carter and sophomore Thomas Schneiter, for their impressive showing in singles. The NCAA Championships are May 15 in Malibu, Calif.
Oregon’s second doubles team of sophomore Schneiter and freshman Oded Teig’s season ended by Kramer and Lee, who defeated the Duck pair 8-2 in the quarterfinals.
Schneiter and Teig narrowly beat Cal’s John-Paul Fruttero and David Tzou in the first round, 8-6.
After making history on Friday by qualifying two players into the singles quarterfinal round, Oregon fell short. Carter, ranked No. 36 in singles, dropped a 6-4, 6-2 decision to UCLA’s Jean-Julien Rojer. Stanford’s K.J. Hippensteel ended Schneiter’s run with a 7-5, 6-4 win. The quarterfinalists included Carter, Schneiter, and three players from both UCLA and Stanford.
In the Thatcher Cup standings, a scoring system that ranks Pac-10 teams by total wins in the tournament, Oregon finished third behind only No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 UCLA.
“It was a great match, played in front of hundreds of people,” head coach Chris Russell said. “It really gives great exposure for Oregon tennis.”
The tournament was less enjoyable for the women’s team. The Ducks lost every match.
After a disappointing opening day in which no Oregon player won a singles match, the pressure fell upon senior Alina Wygonowska and freshman Monika Geiczys to perform in doubles competition. But UCLA’s Elizabeth Schmidt and Abigail Spears swept the Oregon team, 8-0.