Gonzaga University
San Francisco
Zags Prevail in Battle with San Francisco
4/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
SPOKANE, Wash.-The Gonzaga men's team battled its way to a West Coast Conference win Saturday afternoon, beating San Francisco 4-1 at The Stevens Center thanks in part to an incredible comeback.
GU earned the clinching point at No. 2 singles, where freshman Ruadhan O'Sullivan turned a massive deficit into the Zags' best showing of the year. Behind 0-5 in the second set after dropping the first via a tiebreak â€" down to his last game â€" O'Sullivan ripped off seven straight games to force a third set against his Dons foe Ryan Marker. The native of Cherrybrook, Australia, continued his inspired play throughout the third, sweeping the set for the win. By winning the final 13 games of his match Saturday, O'Sullivan picked up his 12th win in dual play and clinched the Zags' first win in conference play this season.
"In all honestly, I thought I was down and out," said O'Sullivan. "My goal was to make him play and get as many games as I could back into and hope he'd feel the pressure…that's what happened. It's good for the team, we got a good conference win and sets us up well for the rest of the season."
The Zags began the day by coming from behind to clinch a tightly-contested doubles point. San Francisco took an early lead with a 6-2 win on court two, but Hayden Smith and Jordan Smith countered with a 6-4 win atop the lineup to even the pairs contest. That left the doubles point to be decided on court three, where Vicente Varas and Ronzai Saurombe squared off against Marker and Jason Lee.
Lee and Marker saw a late advantage, holding a 3-5 lead and needing just one game of the next two to take the match. Varas and Saurombe battled back, winning the next three games to pull ahead at 6-5. The Dons' duo forced a tiebreak by tying the set at 6-6, and that extra frame remained even through the first eight points. At that point, Gonzaga's pair took over, winning the next three games to win the match at 7-6 (4) and clinch the initial point for the Bulldogs.
The singles contests were just as close with four of the six reaching a third frame and four sets needing a tiebreak or an extra game to decide a winner. Gonzaga took the lone two-setter to finish as Jordan Smith needed just the two to dispatch Nils Skajaa atop the lineup. The first set was a grind between the two, but Jordan never trailed as he won the frame by a break at 6-4. In the second, the freshman jumped out to a large lead and never looked back, taking the set 6-2 for his 16th win of the year and ninth of the dual season.
Gonzaga picked up its third point of the day at No. 3 singles when Hayden Smith won a three-setter over Valverde. The Bulldog senior won the first set 6-4, but Valverde evened the contest with a 3-6 victory in the second. After dropping the first game of the third, Smith won six of the final eight games to put the Zags on the brink of victory. The win was Hayden's 10th of the season, and he's the third Bulldog with double-digit wins on the year.
At No. 6 singles, Saurombe played a tight three-setter with Christian Brockstedt. The two split 6-4 results in the first two sets, but Brockstedt prevailed 6-2 in the third for San Francisco's lone point on the day.
On court five, Emilio Moreno was in his third set against Thomas Takemoto when O'Sullivan clinched. Varas, meanwhile, was in a tiebreak to decide the second set on court No. 5; he was two points away from claiming the break and the set, but opponent Woravin Kumthonkittikul had won the first 5-7. Both of those contests were left unfinished
"I'm happy for the guys," said Gonzaga head coach Peter MacDonald. "They have been working hard and we've had some heartbreaking matches. You finally saw what these guys were capable of today."
The Zags (4-12, 1-5 WCC) will look to continue their strong play next weekend with a pair of matches in the Los Angeles area. Their road stint begins Friday, April 8, when they face Loyola Marymount in LA at 1:00 p.m.
