Jan. 19, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team opened its season Saturday by posting 7-0 victories over both #75 UC-Irvine and #64 Furman in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Senior Aaron Talarico (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and sophomore Luis Haddock-Morales (Caguas, Puerto Rico) each posted a pair of singles victories and teamed up for a doubles triumph, while senior Javier Taborga (La Paz, Bolivia) clinched both victories for the Irish, ranked seventh nationally. Twelve different players notched victories on the day for Notre Dame, which has started 2-0 in six of the past seven seasons. The Irish continue play next weekend with a trip to Minneapolis, Minn. to take on #68 William & Mary Friday at 6 p.m. and #32 Minnesota Sunday at 6 p.m.
In the morning match against UC-Irvine, the singles were played first and 83rd-ranked Haddock-Morales gave the Irish a 1-0 lead by gaining a win over Sean O’Connor at No. 3 singles 1-6, 1-1, ret. Senior captain Casey Smith (Leawood, Kan.), ranked 88th, then defeated Carl Lumsden 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 and Talarico gained a victory at No. 4 singles over Renouk Wijemanne 6-2, 6-1. Taborga, ranked 95th, clinched the Irish victory by downing #74 Jonathan Endrikat 6-3, 6-3. The singles sweep was completed with victories by senior Andrew Laflin (Tampa, Fla.) over Brian Morton 7-5, 6-4 at No. 6 and sophomore Matthew Scott (Paris, France) over Greg Biorkman 6-4, 7-5 at No. 4.
Six different players competed for Notre Dame in doubles, but the results were the same. Freshman Brent D’Amico (Centennial, Colo.) and junior Brian Farrell (Lilburn, Ga.) notched an 8-3 victory at No. 2 doubles over Wijemanne and Wkwesi Williams. Seniors James Malhame (Douglaston, N.Y.) and Ashok Raju (Morgantown, W. Va.) clinched the doubles point for Notre Dame by upsetting the 27th-ranked team of Endrikat and Morton 8-6. Sophomore Ben Hatten (Potomac, Md.) and freshman Paul McNaughton (Hinsdale, Ill.) gained a victory at No. 3 doubles 9-8.
In the second match of the day, the Paladins drew first blood in doubles when John Chesworth and James Cameron, ranked 14th, defeated the sixth-ranked team of Smith and Taborga 8-3. But the Irish rebounded to capture the doubles point. Haddock-Morales and Talarico downed Patrick Fillnow and Andrew Rogers 8-2 at No. 2 before D’Amico and Malhame clinched the point with an 8-5 win over Peter Netzler and Chris Henderson at No. 3 doubles.
In singles play, Farrell gained a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 6 over Ryan McCarthy and Scott downed Pat Gughan 6-0, 6-3 at No. 5 before Taborga clinched the second Irish win of the day by beating James Cameron 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) at No. 2 singles. Talarico then beat Chris Henderson 6-4, 7-5 at No. 4. Smith then defeated John Chesworth 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 at No. 1 before Haddock-Morales completed the shutout with a 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5) win over Pat Fillnow at No. 3.
#7 Notre Dame 7, #75 UC-Irvine 0
Singles
No. 1: #95 Javier Taborga (ND) d. #74 Jonathan Endrikat (UCI) 6-3, 6-3
No. 2: #88 Casey Smith (ND) d. Carl Lumsden (UCI) 6-1, 6-3
No. 3: #83 Luis Haddock-Morales (ND) d. Sean O’Connor (UCI) 1-6, 1-1, ret.
No. 4: Matthew Scott (ND) d. Greg Biorkman (UCI) 6-4, 7-5
No. 5: Aaron Talarico (ND) d. Renouk Wijemanne (UCI) 6-2, 6-1
No. 6: Andrew Laflin (ND) d. Brian Morton (UCI) 7-5, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1: James Malhame/Ashok Raju (ND) d. #27 Endrikat/Morton (UCI) 8-6
No. 2: Brent D’Amico/Brian Farrell (ND) d. Wijemanne/Wkwesi Williams (UCI) 8-3
No. 3: Ben Hatten/Paul McNaughton (ND) d. Biorkman/Lumsden (UCI) 9-8
#7 Notre Dame 7, #64 Furman 0
Singles
No. 1: #88 Smith (ND) d. John Chesworth (F) 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
No. 2: #95 Taborga (ND) d. James Cameron (F) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
No. 3: #83 Haddock-Morales (ND) d. Pat Fillnow (F) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5)
No. 4: Talarico (ND) d. Chris Henderson (F) 6-4, 7-5
No. 5: Scott (ND) d. Pat Gaughan (F) 6-0, 6-3
No. 6: Farrell (ND) d. Ryan McCarthy (F) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1: #14 Cameron/Chesworth (F) d. #6 Smith/Taborga (ND) 8-3
No. 2: Hddock-Morales/Talarico (ND) d. Fillnow/Andrew Rogers (F) 8-2
No. 3: D’Amico/Malhame (ND) d. Henderson/Peter Netzler (F) 8-5