Piotr Baranski bows out in thrilling, three-set match at NCAA Singles Championship
05/24/2017 | 3:51:00 | Men's Tennis
In a thrilling, three-set match that came down to a tiebreaker, Southern Illinois men's tennis player Piotr Baranski fell to Georgia's Nathan Ponwith in the opening round of the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships in Athens, Georgia (2-6, 6-4, 7-6) on Wednesday.
The No. 89-ranked player in the nation, and the first Saluki to compete in the NCAAs since Mickey Maule in 1990, Baranski completed a remarkable season at SIU in which he posted a 25-3 record and received the Missouri Valley Conference's automatic bid to the 64-player championship event.
Baranski was an underdog to Ponwith, who won Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year honors and entered the match ranked No. 56 in the nation. Nevertheless, Baranski claimed the first set in decisive fashion, dominating the baseline action to post a 6-2 win.
"Piotr came out in the first set and played as well as he possibly could," said SIU grad assistant coach Jonny Rigby. "He was completely on top of his game and showed no signs of nerves. It was a dream start."
Ponwith evened the match with a 6-4 victory in the second set, and jumped out to a seemingly insurmountable 5-2 advantage in the final set.
As he's done all season, Baranski rallied, reeling off wins in three-straight games to tie it, 5-5. After splitting the next two games to make it 6-6, the pair squared off in a sudden-death tiebreaker, in which Ponwith pulled away, 7-3, to claim the final point.
"The amazing thing about Piotr is just his ability, even when he's losing, to stay in a match and play to the last point," Rigby said. "More often than not, those have turned into wins this year. Today was 50-50, it could've gone either way. It's a shame he lost, but I'm definitely proud of his performance."
The match marks the end of the season and the end of an era for Saluki Tennis, a sport that will be discontinued due to financial restraints at the University.
"I'm extremely proud of the way our team, and especially Piotr, have overcome adversity this year," Rigby said. "Our players fought for every point and always believed in themselves. The way Piotr performed today did himself and the program justice."
The No. 89-ranked player in the nation, and the first Saluki to compete in the NCAAs since Mickey Maule in 1990, Baranski completed a remarkable season at SIU in which he posted a 25-3 record and received the Missouri Valley Conference's automatic bid to the 64-player championship event.
Baranski was an underdog to Ponwith, who won Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year honors and entered the match ranked No. 56 in the nation. Nevertheless, Baranski claimed the first set in decisive fashion, dominating the baseline action to post a 6-2 win.
"Piotr came out in the first set and played as well as he possibly could," said SIU grad assistant coach Jonny Rigby. "He was completely on top of his game and showed no signs of nerves. It was a dream start."
Ponwith evened the match with a 6-4 victory in the second set, and jumped out to a seemingly insurmountable 5-2 advantage in the final set.
As he's done all season, Baranski rallied, reeling off wins in three-straight games to tie it, 5-5. After splitting the next two games to make it 6-6, the pair squared off in a sudden-death tiebreaker, in which Ponwith pulled away, 7-3, to claim the final point.
"The amazing thing about Piotr is just his ability, even when he's losing, to stay in a match and play to the last point," Rigby said. "More often than not, those have turned into wins this year. Today was 50-50, it could've gone either way. It's a shame he lost, but I'm definitely proud of his performance."
The match marks the end of the season and the end of an era for Saluki Tennis, a sport that will be discontinued due to financial restraints at the University.
"I'm extremely proud of the way our team, and especially Piotr, have overcome adversity this year," Rigby said. "Our players fought for every point and always believed in themselves. The way Piotr performed today did himself and the program justice."
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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