Jan. 16, 2010
SEC Coaches’ Indoor Championship Results Day Two
NORCROSS, Ga. — Considered one of the best players in the Southeastern Conference, Kentucky sophomore star Eric Quigley rolled into the quarterfinals of the SEC Coaches’ Indoor Championship with a convincing win at the Racquet Club of the South on Saturday.
Quigley, ranked eighth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Division I preseason singles poll, made quick work of senior Jamie Hunt of Georgia to advance to Sunday’s quarterfinal match. The Kentucky sophomore got off to a convincing start, defeating Hunt 6-1 in the opening frame. The Pewee Valley, Ky., native would continue his strong play by finishing off Hunt in the second set, 6-4.
Quigley’s win over the experienced Hunt is a confidence builder for the young star, as Hunt ended last season ranked 62nd in the final ITA poll. Hunt was also a first-team All-SEC selection last year. The Georgia senior was not ranked in the preseason ITA poll this season.
Quigley, who is coming off arguably the best fall season ever posted by a UK sophomore, will play in the quarterfinals on Sunday against Sekou Bangoura Jr. of Florida. Bangoura Jr. is not seeded in the tournament and has not played a seeded player throughout his run to the quarterfinals. The Florida freshman has won three matches in the tournament, allowing only one to go to three sets.
No. 8 Quigley, seeded third in the tournament, and Bangoura Jr. will face off at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Fellow sophomore Alex Musialek fell short of his bid to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Musialek, ranked 39th in the ITA preseason poll, played a tough match against No. 45 Javier Garrapiz of Georgia. Garrapiz took the first set 6-2, but Musialek would respond in the second set by taking control early and returning the favor to the UGA star. Garrapiz quieted Musialek’s momentum by taking the third set and winning the match, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
Several other Wildcats posted victories on Saturday, most notably the doubles team of senior Alex Lambropoulos and junior Alberto Gonzalez, who defeated the seeded doubles team of George Coupland and Artem Ilyushin of Mississippi State. Lambropoulos and Gonzalez defeated the Bulldog team 8-6 to advance to the quarterfinals. The Wildcat duo could not keep the momentum going, however, as they fell in the quarterfinals to fourth-seeded Hunt and Nate Schnugg of UGA.
The Wildcats had two other double teams playing on the day, including the ninth-ranked team of Quigley and Brad Cox. Quigley and Cox, who were seeded second in the tournament, feel to Bangoura Jr. and Joseph Burkhardt of Florida in the second round, 8-6.
UK freshman Anthony Rossi and sophomore Alex Musialek were defeated in the second round as well by a seeded doubles team of Georgia consisting of Drake Berstein and Garrapiz, 8-4.
Both Lambropoulos and sophomore Matt Davis are still alive in the singles consolation bracket after wins on Saturday. Lambropoulos defeated Ian Chadwell of Alalbama, 6-4, 7-6(5), to advance to the final round of the singles consolation bracket which consists of 16 players.
Davis, who recently transferred to Kentucky from Mercer College, defeated Roger Anderson of LSU to advance in the consolation bracket. Davis defeated Anderson 6-0 in the first set and then claimed the mach after Anderson retired.
Gonzalez and Cox were both given a bye in the first round of the consolation bracket and will play in the round of 16 on Sunday. Lambropoulos and Davis will also play Sunday morning. All four have a chance to end their trip to the SEC Coaches’ Indoor Championships with a win.
Stay tuned to ukathletics.com for the latest news and information on the UK men’s tennis team’s run at the SEC Coaches’ Indoor Championships.
