TULSA, Okla. – Texas Tech Red Raiders Sebastien Aboud and Piotr Pawlak finished playing at the ITA National Championship on Thursday afternoon.
Aboud and Pawlak, seeded No. 6 and ranked No. 7, opened the first round of the ITA National Championship against No. 13 Alex Chan and Michael Wright (California). The Red Raiders trailed 1-3 early, but quickly turned things around and won the next five games to take the first set 6-3.
The second set was much closer as Tech, trailing 0-2, broke and held serve to tie the match at 2-all. The Red Raiders took a 4-2 lead with another break-and-hold, then the Golden Bears won three straight to take a 5-4 advantage. Aboud and Pawlak would tie the set at 5-5 before going to a tiebreak at 6-6.
California led 5-0 at the break, but the Red Raiders scored three straight points to make it 5-3. Tech saved two set points, but the Bears pair evened the match at 7-6 (5) in the second set.
In a 10-point tiebreaker in the third set, Chan and Wright were able to take a 3-0 lead before the Red Raiders tied it at 3-3 and then regained the lead with a score of 4-3. California scored the next four points and Tech scored two to make it 7-6. The Red Raiders saved two match points before the Bears won the third set 10-8.
In the first round of the repechage doubles match, Aboud and Pawlak faced off again in a tough match. This time, he faced the tandem of Joshua Dus Karpenschiff, who is ranked 47th, and Eric Schiessl (Florida State). The Red Raiders and Seminoles each broke early in the first set, but FSU broke Tech’s serve at 4-4 and then held on to take the first set by a score of 6-4. Ta.
The Red Raiders were able to tie the score by winning the second set. The set was a back-and-forth affair, with Aboud and Pawlak holding a 4-2 advantage. Florida State tried to fight back, but in the end, the Red Raiders won the set 6-3, forcing a 10-point break. The Seminoles stormed out in the tiebreak set, allowing only four points to Tech and clinching the game by a score of 10-4.
Next, the Red Raiders will compete in the Big 12/SEC Challenge in Waco, Texas, October 4-6.
doubles results
No. 13 Alex Chan/Michael Wright (California) def. #7 Sebastian Abboud/Piotr Pawlak, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 1-0 (8)
#47 Joshua Dus Karpenschiff/Eric Schiessl (FSU) def. #7 Sebastian Abboud/Piotr Pawlak 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (4)
