PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. – The 70th-ranked Old Dominion men's tennis team advanced to its first Sun Belt Conference title match on Friday with a 4-0 win over sixth-seeded Georgia State in the semifinals at the Peachtree City Tennis Center.
With the win, ODU (17-9) advances to Saturday's 1 p.m. final where they'll face either Troy or South Alabama for the title and NCAA Championship bid.
"A relatively clean match for us with another great doubles point," said ODU Head Coach Dominik Mueller. "Looking at the three singles points we got, on paper it appeared relatively easy two setters but there were some challenges each match. Another great job by Younes (Lalalmi) with a tight first-set win to keep momentum on our side."
In doubles, much like Thursday's quarterfinal, the Monarchs got wins at the two and three spots to take the team point. At line three, Francois Le Tallec and Cosme Rolland De Ravel started with a 6-1 win over Harrison Kim and Edward Tymes. Luca Maldoner and Jakob Cadonau recorded the clinching point with a 6-3 win at line two over Diogo Morais and Diego Padilha to put the Monarchs up 1-0.
In singles, Rolland De Ravel continued his impressive freshman season with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Morais for a 2-0 ODU lead. Nicola Vidal gave the Monarchs a 3-0 lead at line six with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Ricardo Batista and immediately after that win Le Tallec locked up the match with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Roberts Grinvalds at line two.
Looking ahead to Saturday's final, Mueller expects another close battle. "It's going to come down to the wire tomorrow. Both matches in the regular season were 4-3 and last match decided each. I am expecting whomever we play for it to go down to the wire," he said.
Tennis Match Results
Georgia State vs Old Dominion
4/21/2023 at Peachtree City Ga.
(Peachtree City Tennis Center)
Old Dominion 4, Georgia State 0
Singles competition
1. Younes Lalami (ODU) vs. Gabriele Datei (GSU) 7-6 (7-5), 3-3, unfinished
2. Francois Le Tallec (ODU) def. Roberts Grinvalds (GSU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Cosme Rolland De Ravel (ODU) def. Diogo Morais (GSU) 6-3, 6-1
4. Jakob Cadonau (ODU) vs. Diego Padilha (GSU) 5-7, 2-4, unfinished
5. Luca Maldoner (ODU) vs. Edward Tymes (GSU) 6-1, 2-6, 1-1, unfinished
6. Nicola Vidal (ODU) def. Ricardo Batista (GSU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Younes Lalami/Brandon Perez (ODU) vs. Gabriele Datei/Roberts Grinvalds (GSU) 5-4, unfinished
2. Luca Maldoner/Jakob Cadonau (ODU) def. Diogo Morais/Diego Padilha (GSU) 6-3
3. Francois Le Tallec/Cosme Rolland De Ravel (ODU) def. Harrison Kim/Edward Tymes (GSU) 6-1
Match Notes:
Georgia State 8-16
Old Dominion 17-9
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,6,2)
T-2:30 A-300
Men's Tennis Advances To Sun Belt Finals With 4-0 Win Over Georgia State
Luca Maldoner and Jakob Cadonau