NORFOLK, Va. – Aziz Kijametovic of the Old Dominion men’s tennis team punched his ticket to the 2018 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships after claiming the ITA Atlantic Region singles crown in Blacksburg, Va. Kijametovic became the first ODU player to win the singles regional title since Carlos Lopez Villa in 2013.
“I’m very proud how our guys competed all weekend,” said ODU head coach Dominik Mueller. “We talked before the tournament about finding ways to win if our Plan A’s don’t work and we were battling all weekend and the results show how well we did it. Taking down the top two seeds who are both Top 25 in the country and having three players advancing deep is amazing. Winning the title is obviously the icing on the cake. Aziz keeps working hard and I’m happy for him, he can represent our entire region at nationals in a couple weeks.
No 78 nationally ranked/No. 3 seed Kijametovic went a perfect 6-0 in singles, winning every match in straight sets en route to winning the regional tournament. To get to the semifinals, Kijametovic got the better of Penn State’s No. 106 nationally ranked Constant de la Bassitiere (6-3, 6-1). In the regional final, Kijametovic proved to be too much for UVA’s Ryan Goetz (6-3, 6-4). The 2018 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships will be held in Surprise, Ariz. on Nov. 7-11.
Video of Kijametovic’s Last Point
ODU’s Jannik Giesse advanced to the regional semifinals after taking down No. 23 nationally ranked/No. 2 seed Aswin Lizen (UVA) in straight sets (6-4, 6-2). Giesse then defeated Virginia Tech’s No. 101 nationally ranked Alex Ribeiro (4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3). In the semi’s, it was Giesse’s teammate Kijametovic who would claim victory (6-3, 6-1).
Francois Musitelli won his first three matches in singles and advanced to the quarterfinals after upsetting No. 12 nationally ranked/No. 1 seeded Mitch Harper of Virginia Tech (7-6, 3-6, 6-3). Musitelli would later fall to UVA’s Goetz 6-2, 7-6(2) in the quarters.
Musitelli and Kijametovic paired together for doubles and won their first four matches, advancing to the regional semifinals before eventually falling to Temple’s Caceres/Wallner 7-6(6), 3-6, 1-0(7).
Atlantic regional singles and doubles brackets are attached.