Sept. 25, 1999

BALTIMORE, Md. – Notre Dame senior All-American men’s tennis player and tournament top-seed Ryan Sachire won his quarterfinal match but lost in the semifinals of the T. Rowe Price National Clay Court Intercollegiate Championships, the first leg of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association collegiate grand slam, held at the Suburban Club of Baltimore County. Sachire, the only American player to reach the quarterfinals, beat Mississippi State’s seventh-seed and 14th-ranked Marco Baron 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals before losing to VCU’s 92nd-ranked Frank Moser 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals.

Sachire strained his right bicep muscle while warming up for his semifinal match. After dropping the first set and falling behind 0-3 in the second set, Sachire called for a trainer but continued the match. Moser won the final three games to advance to the final. Sachire’s semifinal result is the best of his career. He lost in the first round as a sophomore and reached the second round as a junior.

In his quarterfinal win over Baron, Sachire used a stretch midway through the match when he won seven of games to rally from 2-3 in the first set to a 6-3, 3-1 lead. Serving at 2-2 in the first set, Sachire rallied for deuce afer falling behind 0-40 but lost the next two points as Baron recorded the first break of serve in the match. Sachire recovered quickly and broke right back for 3-3 and then held serve for 4-3. Sachire then broke serve again on his third break point of the game after Baron led 40-30. A pair of aces held Sachire easily hold serve for 6-3.

Baron held serve to open the second set before Sachire sandwiched a break of serve between two holds for a 3-1 lead. That break would prove to be the difference in the secnd set. Serving at 3-2, Sachire faced a break point at 30-40 but nailed a running forehand passing shot up the line for deuce. He then hit two more winners for 4-2 and held serve twice more to reach the semifinals.