May 21, 2011
STANFORD, Calif.- No. 8 Stanford dropped a hard-fought 4-3 decision to No. 1 Virginia on Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championships, falling just short in an upset bid that would have ranked among the program's most memorable wins in recent history.
Virginia (33-0) entered the match as the nation's only undefeated squad, having blanked Illinois 4-0 on Thursday in the round of 16.
Instead, Stanford (21-6) became the first opponent to secure three points in a match against Virginia this year. Trailing 3-2, the Cardinal had already booked first-set wins in two remaining matches and was on the brink of a stunning upset before a raucous crowd of nearly 2,700 fans at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
But with the contest deadlocked at 3-3, Sanam Singh edged Alex Clayton 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a battle of seniors at the No. 3 position to secure the win for the Cavaliers.
Having reached the quarterfinal round for the first time since 2006, Stanford gave Virginia all it could handle despite losing the doubles point for the second straight match.
The Cavaliers raced out to a 1-0 lead following victories at the Nos. 1 and 3 spots in doubles.
Julen Uriguen and Jarmere Jenkins followed with wins on courts six and four, respectively, to put Stanford in a 3-0 hole.
But the Cardinal battled back. Ryan Thacher picked apart second-ranked Alex Domijan 6-4, 6-3 at the No. 2 spot, handing Domijan only his third loss of the year and first since Nov. 5.
Bradley Klahn then cruised past fifth-ranked Michael Shabaz 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 1 spot, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Finally, Matt Kandath outlasted Justin Shane 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 at the No. 5 spot to force a 3-3 tie, with Clayton and Singh alternating games early in their third set.
Singh eventually took control, closing out the set at 6-3.
No. 1 Virginia 4, No. 8 Stanford 3
Doubles (Order of Finish: 3, 1)
1) No. 2 Courtney/Shabaz (UVA) d. No. 3 Klahn/Thacher (STAN) 8-4
2) Jenkins/Uriguen (UVA) vs. Kandath/Lin (STAN) aban.
3) Domijan/Singh (UVA) d. Ball/Clayton (STAN) 8-5
Singles (Order of Finish: 6, 4, 2, 1, 5, 3)
1) No. 9 Bradley Klahn (STAN) d. No. 5 Michael Shabaz (UVA) 6-4, 6-2
2) No. 46 Ryan Thacher (STAN) d. No. 2 Alex Domijan (UVA) 6-4, 6-3
3) No. 34 Sanam Singh (UVA) d. No. 71 Alex Clayton (STAN) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
4) No. 56 Jarmere Jenkins (UVA) d. No. 119 Denis Lin (STAN) 6-4, 6-2
5) Matt Kandath (STAN) d. Justin Shane (UVA) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
6) Julen Uriguen (UVA) d. Daniel Ho (STAN) 6-4, 6-1