Jan. 12, 2001
The 33rd-ranked Notre Dame men’s tennis team opened it 2001 dual-match season on Friday with a 7-0 win over 18th-ranked Minnesota at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish won the doubles point and took four singles matches in straights to begin the season with a victory. The 38th-ranked doubles team of junior Javier Taborga and Aaron Talarico clinched the doubles point at No. 1 doubles, and Talarico won 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 at No. 4 singles to clinch the match. Notre Dame returns to action on Jan. 21, for a match at Wisconsin.
The doubles team of junior James Malhame and freshman Matthew Scott picked up the first Irish win in doubles at No. 3 doubles. The duo won four straight games from 4-3 to beat Minnesota’s Ed Marques and Eric Robertson 8-3. Taborga and Talarico used two breaks of serve midway through the set and held for an 8-5 win over Jorge Duenas and Harsh Mankad to clinch the point. The No. 2 doubles match was abandoned at 7-7 once the Irish had clinched the point.
Notre Dame took a 2-0 lead when Scott raced to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Marques at No. 6 singles. Sophomore Brian Farrell made it 3-0 by beating Robertson 6-3, 6-4. Talarico’s win over Tyson Parry at No. 4 singles was the decisive fourth point for the Irish. Haddock-Morales won another straight-set singles match be downing Jon Svensson 6-4, 6-4 at No. 3 singles. The 75th-ranked Taborga held on to beat Duenas 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 at No. 2 singles, and 95th-ranked Smith rallied for a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 over 53rd-ranked Harsh Mankad at No. 1 singles. The win marked the first for Notre Dame over Minnesota since Jan. 17, 1998, after a pair of 4-3 losses to the Gophers.
#33 NOTRE DAME 7, #18 MINNESOTA 0
Doubles
No. 1: #38 Javier Taborga/Aaron Talarico (ND) def. Jorge Duenas/Harsh Mankad (M) 8-5
No. 2: Luis Haddock-Morales/Casey Smith (ND) vs. Tyson Parry/Jon Svensson (M) 7-7, abandoned
No. 3: James Malhame/Matthew Scott (ND) def. Ed Marques/Eric Robertson (M) 8-3
Singles
No. 1: #95 Smith (ND) def. #53 Harsh Mankad (M) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
No. 2: #75 Taborga (ND) def. Duenas (M) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
No. 3: Haddock-Morales (ND) def. Svensson (M) 6-4, 6-4
No. 4: Talarico (ND) def. Parry (M) 7-6 (4), 6-3
No. 5: Brian Farrell (ND) def. Robertson (M) 6-3, 6-4
No. 6: Scott (ND) def. Marques (M) 6-0, 6-1