Bob Larson's Tennis News | MTN: 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship Semifinals Match Results: #8 USC 4, #12 Texas 1

NCAA Division I Tennis Championships
Men's Semifinals
May 18, 2009
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
College Station Texas

#8 USC 4, #12 Texas 1
RECORDS: Southern California 24-5; Texas 23-7

SINGLES
1. (#8) Robert Farah, USC def. (#19) Dimitar Kutrovsky, TEX, 6-3, 6-4
2. (#53) Steve Johnson, USC def. (#69) Ed Corrie, TEX, 6-2, 6-1
3. (#80) Kellen Damico, TEX def. (81) Jaak Poldma, USC, 6-1, 6-3
4. (#106) Abdullah Magdas, USC vs. Olivier Sajous, TEX, 7-5, 6-4, 3-2, DNF
5. Matt Kecki, USC def. Josh Zavala, TEX, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
6. Daniel Nguyen, USC vs. Miguel Reyes Varela, TEX, 7-6, 5-4, DNF

DOUBLES
1. (#4) Farah/Johnson, USC def. (#27) Corrie/Damico, TEX, 8-6
2. (#60) Kutrovsky/Zavala, TEX def. (#59) Magdas/Nguyen, USC, 8-4
3. Kecki/Poldma, USC def. Reyes Varela/Sajous, TEX, 8-4

ORDER OF FINISH: Doubles: 2, 1, 3; Singles: 3, 2, 1, 5

NOTES: USC advances to the championships match and will take on Ohio State Tuesday at 2 p.m...USC has won 16 national championships in men's tennis, the last coming in 2002 in College Station.

QUOTES:
USC Head Coach Peter Smith: "I've probably done as little coaching today as I have done all season. I felt like my team wasn't going to be denied. Our No. 3 doubles (Kecki/Poldma) has been our best doubles point this year. I really believed in my heart of hearts that we could have won it without the doubles point, but it makes the locker room talk in between the doubles and singles a lot more fun. The guys didn’t need direction out there. They just knew what was going on. I could see it in their eyes and feel it. When Kecki lost the second set, I thought, 'Typical Kecki wins the first set, loses the second. I know he is going the win the third.' That is what I believed."

USC junior Robert Farah: "The crowd was against us, but I felt like I made the most out of it. We've gone through a lot this year, but we have a lot of heart and we are showing it right now on the court. There is not going to be an exception tomorrow."

(On Steve Johnson's lob hit in doubles): "It was a pretty tight moment for us. At that moment I thought that we might get a chance to win it, but it was very slim. Suddenly, he hit one of the best shots I've seen in my life."

Texas Head Coach Michael Center: "USC played very well. Dimi (Dimitar Kutrovsky) was just not as quick as he normally is, and Robert (Farah) took advantage of it like the great player he is. Dimi just got behind and never really got back in the first match. Kellen (Damico) did a great job and beat a terrific player in (Jaak) Poldma, but USC was just a little too strong today.

"We were obviously counting on 6 today. Miguel Reyes Varela has been a great player, particularly in this tournament. Daniel Ngyuen pushed Miguel harder than he had been pushed, but I think it had a lot to do with the fact that he just played so well. So, I have to give him credit. For some reason, I don’t feel like we were quite a sharp today mentally. Overall I feel like they just out-played us."

"I don't think a lot of people thought we were going to be in the final four in this tournament, but we really rallied. These guys believe in the hard work."

Texas sophomore Kellen Damico: "I think a major benefit going into this tournament here in College Station was the heat. It was something that we are used to that we used to our advantage. But, the Texas heat didn't show up this week."