UNCW Battles Past Elon, 4-2, To Repeat As CAA Men's Tennis Champions
Rob Washburn
Photo by Jacob Kisamore Championship Central
ELON, N.C. (April 24, 2022) – Second-seeded UNCW battled past No. 4 Elon, 4-2, to capture the 2022 CAA Men’s Tennis Championship on Sunday afternoon before a spirited crowd at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on the campus of Elon University.
It was the second straight CAA title for the Seahawks and eighth in the past 13 years under head coach Mait DuBois. UNCW, which improved to 15-8, earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship. Elon, which was making its second championship appearance in the past three tournaments, dropped to 15-9.
UNCW held a narrow 3-2 edge in the contest with the two remaining matches reaching a third set. The Seahawks clinched the victory at the No. 4 slot when sophomore Gabriel Hurtado rallied for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 win over Camilo Ponce.
The Seahawks grabbed an early 1-0 advantage by capturing the doubles point. UNCW’s top duo of Dillon Gooch and Bekhzod Rasamatov got a key break at 4-3 and then held serve to post a 6-3 triumph over Daniel Martin and Han Tsai. The Seahawks clinched the point at No. 3 as Hurtado and Trey Mallory topped Nick Campbell and Nicholas Condos, 6-2.
In singles action, Elon evened the match at 1-1 when Campbell beat Davide Innocenti, 6-1, 6-3 at No. 2. For the second straight day, UNCW got strong performances from the bottom part of its lineup as Mallory downed Ben Zipay, 6-4, 6-2 at No. 6, and Harry Huens followed with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Condos at No. 5.
The Phoenix cut the deficit in half as Kyle Frankel earned a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 win over Reece Falck at No. 1, before UNCW was able to secure the match with Hurtado’s victory.
2022 CAA MEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP - FINALS
Jimmy Powell Tennis Center – Elon University – Elon, N.C.
#2 UNCW 4, #4 Elon 2
Singles
#1 Kyle Frankel (EU) d. Reece Falck (UNCW), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
#2 Nick Campbell (EU) d. Davide Innocenti (UNCW), 6-1, 6-3
#3 Bekhzod Rasamatov (UNCW) vs. Daniel Martin (EU) – DNF - 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 2-3
#4 Gabriel Hurtado (UNCW) d. Camilo Ponce (EU), 5-7, 6-1, 6-3
#5 Harold Huens (UNCW) d. Nicholas Condos (EU), 6-2, 6-1
#6 Trey Mallory (UNCW) d. Ben Zipay (EU), 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 6, 5, 1, 4*
Doubles
#1 Dillon Gooch/Rasamatov (UNCW) d. Martin/Tsai (EU), 6-3
#2 Innocenti/Falck (UNCW) vs. Ponce/Frankel (EU) – DNF, 5-5
#3 Hurtado/Mallory (UNCW) d. Campbell/Condos (EU), 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3*