By Laurean Love
Reporter
Although no one walked away with a title, junior Roberto Maytin and freshman Mate Zsiga each won quarterfinal matches in singles before falling in the semifinals as men’s tennis competed in the USTA/ITA Texas Regional this weekend in College Station.
Maytin and Zsiga, along with freshmen Lars Behlen and Marko Krickovic, all posted straight-set victories on Friday.
Zsiga raised his season record to 8-1 while Behlen moved to 7-2 and Maytin 6-2. Senior Kike Grangeiro played in his first collegiate match of the season after suffering an eye injury last summer. Grangeiro lost to Texas Tech’s Raphael Pfister 6-0, 4-6, 6-2, while Robert Verzaal lost to TCU’s Orlando Superlando 6-1, 6-3.
Three of Baylor’s four players in Saturday’s singles won their round of 32 matches in straight sets. Maytin beat Daniel Sanchez of TCU, Zsiga eliminated Nathan Robinson of Texas A&M-CC and Behlen beat Rice’s Isamu Tachibana.
In the round of 16 matches, Behlen lost to Texas Tech’s Gonzalo Escobar 6-2, 7-5. Maytin eased past UTA’s Yauheni Takauleu 6-4, 6-4.
Zsiga played in the toughest match of the day for the Bears when he dropped the first set to Texas A&M’s Niall Angus 6-2, but he bounced back to take the second set 7-5. In the final and third set, Zsiga was leading 4-2 when Angus had to step down.
In doubles, Maytin and Zsiga, No. 2 seed, were pushed in both of their matches, defeating Mindaugas Celedinas/Soren Goritzka of UTA 9-7. They fell in quarterfinal action, losing 9-8 to fifth-seeded Ben Chen and Daniel Whitehead of Texas.
In quarterfinals, the third-seeded Maytin defeated Texas’ Soren Hess-Olesen by winning the first set 6-4 before the Longhorn withdrew due to an injury.
Zsiga, a No. 3 seed, overpowered Texas A&M’s Alberto Bautista 6-0, 6-2.
In semifinals the outcomes were just the opposite. Maytin was defeated by the Aggies’ Jeremy Efferding in three sets, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
The tournaments No. 1 seed, Gonzago Escobar of Texas Tech 6-2, 6-4, eliminated Zsiga.
Twelve regionals are held around the country during October. The singles and doubles champions from each tournament qualify for the 2011 USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships to be held on Nov. 3-6 at the indoor facilities at the STA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N. Y.
The Bears’ next tournament will be in Niceville at the Niceville Future Tournament from Monday through Nov. 6.
