April 17, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Facing third-seed SMU in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship, the No. 6 UCF men's tennis team fell 4-2 Friday at the UCF Tennis Complex. UCF (10-11) opened the contest by taking the doubles point, but the Mustangs (16-10) claimed four singles tilts to win the match.
Artem Baradach clinched the win for the Mustangs with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory over sophomore Blaze Schwartz (Pensacola, Fla.) at No. 3. UCF's singles win came at the No. 2 spot, where senior Tarek Ben Soltane (Tunis, Tunisia) topped Chris Hooshyar (6-3, 6-4).
Schwartz and junior Johan Beigart (Vaxjo, Sweden) clinched the doubles point at No. 1, holding on for a 9-8 (7-4) win over Darren Walsh and Adham el-Effendi. The SMU duo entered the match ranked 53rd nationally.
Junior Marc Rocafort (Barcelona, Spain) and freshman Eugene Dolgovykh (Palm Coast, Fla.) disposed Robin Fahgen and Gaston Cuadranti, 8-4, at No. 3.
"We started out well in doubles. The crowd was excellent and really gave us a push," said UCF head coach Bobby Cashman. "I thought in singles that we ran out of gas."
SMU will face the winner of the No. 2 Rice/No. 7 UAB match Saturday in the semifinals. The contest was played in front of a large crowd as nearly 200 supporters were in attendance on a sunny day in Orlando.
UCF is hosting the C-USA Championship for the first time. Play at the event will resume Saturday morning when Southern Miss meets Tulsa at noon. Admission is free for all matches.
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#68 SMU 4, UCF 2
Singles competition
1. #65 Robin Fahgen (SMU) def. Marc Rocafort (UCF) 6-0, 6-3
2. Tarek Ben Soltane (UCF) def. Chris Hooshyar (SMU) 6-3, 6-4
3. David Costa (SMU) def. Blaze Schwartz (UCF) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
4. Artem Baradach (SMU) def. Johan Beigart (UCF) 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
5. Darren Walsh (SMU) def. Joe Delinks (UCF) 6-4, 6-1
6. Eugene Dolgovykh (UCF) vs. Gaston Cuadranti (SMU) 6-3, 3-6, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Blaze Schwartz/Johan Beigart (UCF) def. #53 Darren Walsh/Adham el-Effendi (SMU) 9-8 (7-4)
2. Chris Hooshyar/Artem Baradach (SMU) def. Tarek Ben Soltane/Joe Delinks (UCF) 8-6
3. Eugene Dolgovykh/Marc Rocafort (UCF) def. Robin Fahgen/Gaston Cuadranti (SMU) 8-4