STANFORD, Calif. – No. 12 Stanford advanced to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships with a 4-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara Saturday afternoon at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
"I am happy for this entire team," said Taube Family Director of Men's Tennis, Paul Goldstein. "They have busted their tails all year. You are always trying to peak at this time of year and that is what this team has done this year. We got over the hump of last year, being in a similar situation and not coming through. We learned from that experience and applied that to this year. I am really proud of them. I am so happy for our seniors Sameer and Michael with their wins today. It is a privilege to be in a situation to be able to support them and see them have that kind of joy. They deserve it."
The Cardinal (19-6) has now reached the Round of 16 for the 12th time since 2000 and the 31st time in the storied history of the program. Stanford will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to face No. 5 Virginia next Saturday (May 11) at 10 a.m. PT in the NCAA Super Regional.
Saturday's 4-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara (17-7) followed the 4-0 win over Fresno State in the first round on Friday. It marked the ninth time in program history, and the first time since 2010, Stanford did not surrender a point in the first two rounds of the NCAA Championships.
The Gauchos put up a fight throughout the dual, with the doubles point going down to the final match and four of the six singles matches in a third set.
After splitting doubles matches at No. 1 and No. 2, with Axel Geller and William Genesen picking up a 6-2 win for the Cardinal at No. 2, all eyes turned to the third court of Taube Family Tennis Stadium. Jack Barber and Sangeet Sridhar and UCSB's Joseph Rotheram and Alex Soto were tied at 3-3. With the home crowd in the stands and their teammates cheering them on from the next court over, Barber and Sridhar would not be denied. The Cardinal duo won the next three games to seal the doubles point.
Stanford's seniors – Sameer Kumar and Michael Genender – playing in their final career matches at Taube Family Tennis Stadium, went out with a victory. Genender posted a straight-set win at No. 6 for the second point and Kumar captured a tiebreaker in the second set for the victory inch Stanford closer to the next round of the NCAA Championships.
All four remaining matches were in the third set, with Timothy Sah's battle with Hironori Koyanagi the most advanced of the four. Tied at 4-4 in the decisive set, Sah fed off the cheers of the home crowd and captured the next two games. He served out the match to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 and clinch it for the Cardinal.
Next Saturday's NCAA Super Regional against Virginia in Charlottesville will mark the second meeting between the two teams this season. Stanford dropped a 4-2 decision to Virginia in the ITA National Indoor Championships on Feb. 15 in Chicago. The winner of the Round of 16 match will move on to the NCAA Championships at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. No. 12 Stanford 4, UC Santa Barbara 0
DOUBLES
1. No. 64 Nicolas Moreno de Alboran/Anders Holm d. Sameer Kumar/Timothy Sah (STAN) 6-2
2. Axel Geller/William Genesen (STAN) d. Joseph Guillin/Victor Krustev (UCSB) 6-2
3. Jack Barber/Sangeet Sridhar (STAN) d. Joseph Rotheram/Alex Soto (UCSB) 6-3
Order of Finish: 2,1,3
SINGLES
1. No. 16 Nicolas Moreno de Alboran (UCSB) led No. 13 Axel Geller (STAN) 2-6, 7-6 (5), 2-0, UNF
2. No. 53 Joseph Guillin (UCSB) led No. 91 William Genesen (STAN) 6-3, 3-6, 2-1, UNF
3. Sameer Kumar (STAN) d. Victor Krustev (UCSB) 6-0, 7-6 (5)
4. Timothy Sah (STAN) d. Hironori Koyanagi (UCSB) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
5. Joseph Rotheram (UCSB) led Sangeet Sridhar (STAN) 6-4, 6-7 (5), 2-1, UNF
6. Michael Genender (STAN) d. Anders Holm (UCSB) 6-3, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6,3,4
