Oct. 17, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Notre Dame men’s tennis player Casey Watt fell in the semifinals of the USTA/ITA Regional Championships on Monday to No. 1 seed Blaz Rola of Ohio State, 6-3, 6-4.
The No. 4 seeded Watt put up a strong effort against Rola, who had rolled through the field to reach the semis. Watt became the first Rola opponent to win more than two games in a set, and came within one game of tying the combined number of games won among his opponents the entire tournament.
Watt won four matches to reach the semis, defeating opponents from Illinois-Chicago, DePaul and Illinois to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarters, Watt took down No. 5 seed Devin McCarthy of Ohio State, 7-5, 6-3, to set up the showdown with Rola.
Watt’s loss concludes a strong week for the Irish at the regional championships. Notre Dame placed two individuals in the singles round of eight, and two teams in the doubles round of eight.
The Irish will close out the fall portion of their schedule in two weeks when they travel to the University of Minnesota for the Gopher Invitational from Nov. 3-6.
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