NORFOLK, Va. – In the third and final day of the ITA Men's Tennis Atlantic Super Regional held at Old Dominion's Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center, ODU's Luca Maldoner and Nicola Vidal claimed the doubles crown, while Old Dominion's Francois Le Tallec won the regional singles title. Maldoner/Vidal and Le Tallec advance to the 2021 ITA National Fall Championships being held on November 5-7 at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego.
"Coming into this tournament, we knew we would have chances to play well and I thought we played better and better each match," said Vidal. "We gained a lot of confidence, as this was a perfect tournament for us. Winning at home makes this even more special."
In the doubles final, Maldoner/Vidal defeated Virginia's Ryan Goetz/Iñaki Montes de la Torre after a 3-0 first set retirement.
"Going to San Diego will be a lot of fun," Maldoner concluded. "I went to fall nationals two years ago and it was a great experience. I think Nicola and I can play well at nationals and playing in these tough matches will only help us down the road."
In the singles final, Le Tallec was leading 3-0 in the first set before UVA's Montes de la Torre retired.
"Honestly, I didn't expect to win this tournament, but I was playing well the whole time and everything came together, so I am super happy," said Le Tallec. "I can't wait for San Diego!"
Old Dominion men's tennis has sent a doubles tandem to the fall national tournament three of the last five years, as well as a singles player twice during this time frame.
"Hosting all of the best players from our region was very special," explained ODU head coach Dominik Mueller. "I am very happy for our three guys that secured spots to the National Fall Championships."
To view all of the results from the ITA Atlantic Super Regional, please click here.
More on the ITA Men's Tennis Atlantic Super Regional:
Joining members of the Old Dominion squad the past three days have been student-athletes from, Virginia, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Liberty, VCU, Temple, William & Mary, Radford, James Madison and Delaware.
For the first time, the ITA's regional championships were split with qualifying matches happening at different regional sites earlier this month. Sixteen singles players and eight doubles teams earned spots in the field through qualifying. The remaining 16 singles players and eight doubles teams earned direct entry into this week's Super Regional by virtue of their ITA and/or UTR ranking.
The regional champions and finalists earn invitations to compete at the 2021 ITA National Fall Championships being held on November 5-7 at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego.
Maldoner/Vidal Win Regional Doubles Crown, Le Tallec Claims Singles Title
Maldoner/Vidal and Le Tallec advance to the 2021 ITA National Fall Championships