DURHAM, N.C. - The first player in school history to play at least one match at all six spots in the singles lineup, versatile freshman David Wilczynski has experienced a crash course in college tennis throughout the season.
Faced with his first postseason assignment on Friday, Wilczynski passed that test as well.
Grinding out a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory at the No. 3 spot, Wilczynski clinched No. 23 Stanford’s 4-2 victory over No. 41 Tennessee on Friday morning in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Making its 36th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, Stanford (18-6, 6-1 Pac-12) advanced to the second round and will play the winner of host No. 10 Duke and South Carolina State on Saturday at 10 a.m. PT.
Opening postseason play on the road for the third consecutive season, the Cardinal secured its first NCAA Tournament victory since a quarterfinal showing in 2012.
For only the second time this season, Stanford won a match despite losing the doubles point. The Cardinal edged Cal 4-3 on Feb. 21 after also falling behind 1-0.
Wilczynski might not have been the ideal candidate for a clincher, having won only one match over the last month and owning a 3-5 record in three-setters. But the rookie also has racked up 21 victories, which rank third on the squad, and his experience playing up and down lineup proved crucial on Friday.
Stanford needed that type of gritty play after losing the doubles point for the first time in 14 matches. With Tennessee (14-13, 5-7 SEC) leading 1-0, the Cardinal cleaned up at the bottom of the lineup to take control.
Nolan Paige outlasted Andrew Dromsky 6-2, 7-5 at the No. 6 spot and Robert Stineman followed with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Jess Jones at the No. 5 position, putting Stanford in front 2-1.
Playing two spots higher in the lineup at No. 4, David Hsu won his 11th consecutive match when he outlasted Luis Valero 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 and increased the Cardinal’s lead to 3-1.
Mikelis Libietis kept Tennessee within striking distance, putting away Tom Fawcett 6-4, 7-6 (6) in a battle of players ranked among the top-30 at the top of the lineup.
With the Volunteers gaining momentum and leading 4-1 at the No. 2 spot, Wilczynski polished off his match to secure the win.
Stanford and Tennessee were hooking up for the first time since 2001, when the Volunteers posted a 4-2 victory in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Cardinal improved to 5-1 in the all-time series.
Stanford owns a 104-20 all-time record in the postseason. The Cardinal has won 17 NCAA championships, including 15 since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1977. The most recent crown came back in 2000, when Stanford blanked VCU 4-0.
- - - - - - - - - - -
No. 23 Stanford 4, No. 41 Tennessee 2
DOUBLES
1) No. 4 Libietis/Reese (TENN) d. No. 9 Morrissey/Stineman (STAN) 8-4
2) Dromsky/Igor Smelyanski (TENN) d. No. 69 Fawcett/Maciek Romanowicz (STAN) 8-5
3) Paige/Wilczynski (STAN) vs. Schipanski/Valero (TENN) abandoned
Order of Finish: 1, 2
SINGLES
1) No. 14 Mikelis Libietis (TENN) d. No. 26 Tom Fawcett (STAN) 6-4, 7-6 (6)
2) No. 71 John Morrissey (STAN) vs. Hunter Reese (TENN) abandoned
3) David Wilczynski (STAN) d. Jack Schipanski (TENN) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
4) David Hsu (STAN) d. Luis Valero (TENN) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
5) Robert Stineman (STAN) d. Jess Jones (TENN) 6-2, 6-3
6) Nolan Paige (STAN) d. Andrew Dromsky (TENN) 6-2, 7-5
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 4, 1, 3