No. 4 Seed (51) SMU (16-13) vs No. 5 Seed (53) Tulsa (11-13)
USTA National Campus – Orlando, FL
Friday, Apr. 21 | 8 a.m. CT
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No. 4 Seed (51) SMU (16-13) vs No. 1 Seed (34) Memphis (13-6)
Saturday, Apr. 22 | 11 a.m. CT
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ORLANDO (SMU)- No. 51 SMU men's tennis pushed itself closer to a back-to-back conference title after defeated No. 5 seed Tulsa 4-2 in the quarterfinals Friday afternoon at the USTA National Campus.

The Mustangs notched its second win over Tulsa this springs season as they advance to the semifinals.

SMU will face top-ranked seed, Memphis, Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CT. The Mustangs knocked off Memphis already once this year as they notched their first ranked road win of the season over then No. 35 Memphis on Apr. 9.

"We have been working these past four months to prepare for tournament time. It's really a different mindset and I'm proud of the boys for remaining focused and calm throughout the first match," said head coach Grant Chen. "We had a good week of preparation for pleased to move on. Great energy on and off the court. Love having the dual gender competition together."

A match that lasted three and a half hours saw both teams fight tooth and nail for the win. SMU got the early lead by taking the doubles point via victories on courts 1 and 3. The Mustangs then cemented their return to the semifinals of the championship with wins on courts 3 through 5 in singles play.

SMU trailed at the start of the match as Liam Krall and Callaway Clark fell on Court 2 to Timo Carlsson Seger and Daniel Siddall 6-3. But, the Mustangs had an answer.

The dynamic duo of Adam Neff and Pranav Kumar, the No. 68 ranked duo in the ITA, punched their fifth straight win on Court 1 besting Connor Di Marco and Kody Pearson to even the doubles score at one apiece.

The doubles point was decided on Court 3 by Antonio Muniz-Hidalgo and Julian Steinhausen. Muniz-Hidalgo and Steinhausen shared the first 10 games with Stefan Hampe and Ezequiel Santalla before the SMU duo got the big break and hold to grab the 7-5 win and give SMU the 1-0 lead. The SMU tandem is now 5-0 together this season.

Tulsa fought back from their deficit as they captured courts 6 and 1 in singles play giving the Golden Hurricane their first, and only, lead of the day.

The momentum quickly shifted back in favor of SMU as they snatched the next three matches sealing the win.

Antonio Muniz-Hidalgo put the match within two as he defeated Ezequiel Santalla in straight sets on Court 3. Muniz-Hidalgo cruised by in the opening set with a 6-2 win. Santalla showed some fight in the second forcing a deciding second set tiebreaker. The two bounced back-and-forth in the 16-point breaker and as Muniz-Hidalgo got the win at 9-7.

Pranav Kumar was the next match off as he had a pair of 7-5 victories to secure the third point of the day for SMU on Court 4.

Kumar earned his eighth win of the season and first match clincher of the 2023 season.

Julian Steinhausen delivered a three-set triumph to clinch over Adham Gaber on Court 4. Steinhausen dropped the opening set 6-3 but responded with a 6-3 win in the second. Neither player could find a break in the first eight games until Steinahusen got the biggest break of the day tied at 4-4. Steinhausen had a triple match point serving for the match at 5-4 where he got the nod to clinch the match at 6-4 in the third.

The Mustangs move on to the semifinals where they will battle the No. 1 seed Memphis.

Memphis earned its spot to the semifinals after battling off an upset against the No. 8 seed Temple, 4-2 on Friday afternoon.
 
#51 SMU 4, #53 Tulsa 2
Apr 21, 2023 at

Singles Competition 1. #76 Kody Pearson (TU) def. #65 Adam Neff (SMU) 7-5, 6-4

2. Liam Krall (SMU) vs. Stefan Hampe (TU) 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 4-1, unfinished

3. Antonio Muniz Hidalg (SMU) def. Ezequiel Santalla (TU) 6-2, 7-6 (9-7)

4. Pranav Kumar (SMU) def. Volodymyr Zakharov (TU) 7-5, 7-5

5. Julian Steinhausen (SMU) def. Adham Gaber (TU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

6. Callum Gale (TU) def. Jordi Redelijk (SMU) 6-2, 6-4

 

Doubles Competition 1. #68 Pranav Kumar/Adam Neff (SMU) def. Connor Di Marco/Kody Pearson (TU) 6-3

2. T. Carlsson Seger/Daniel Siddall (TU) def. Callaway Clark/Liam Krall (SMU) 6-3

3. Antonio Muniz Hidalg/Julian Steinhausen (SMU) def. Stefan Hampe/Ezequiel Santalla (TU) 7-5

 

Match Notes Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (,1,6,3,4,5)

American Athletic Conference Championship Quarterfinals