Nicolas Arseneault Into ITA Quarterfinals With Three-Set Win Friday
TULSA, Okla. – Nicolas Arseneault punched his ticket into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s quarterfinal round Friday afternoon with a thrilling three-set victory over No. 11 Rodrigo Fernandes of Cornell.
Arseneault, who advanced into the main draw through qualifying earlier this week, went the distance for the first time in main draw play as he won the first set 6-3, dropped a second-set tiebreak 6-7 (7) and then broke at 4-5 in the third set to clinch the match 6-4 in the third. The sophomore outlasted Fernandes in a match lasting a tick over two and a half hours as Arseneault fought off the emotions from letting two set points slip away in the second-set tiebreak to then rally and earn the third set’s only break when it mattered, to close out the contest.
With Friday afternoon’s win, Arseneault moves into the round of eight, where he will play the No. 16 seeded player in the draw, Viktor Markov of Clemson University. That match is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday night. In-between his two singles matches of the day, Arseneault is also competing with his brother Mikael in the doubles quarterfinals, scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET Friday afternoon in Tulsa.
Arseneault is now qualified for the NCAA singles championship with his quarterfinal appearance in this ITA All-American Championship.
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