Air Force Academy
Denver
Air Force defeats Denver, 6-1, in season finale
4/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 19, 2003
The Air Force men's tennis team won its 20th match of the season with a 6-1 victory over the University of Denver Saturday in the Falcons' season finale. It is the first time since the 1999 season that the Falcons (20-5) recorded a 20-win season.
Air Force earned the doubles point with victories at No. 2 and No. 3. Air Force's No. 2 team of Chris Dong and Martin Black defeated Hans Peter Gaber and Viktor Zetterholm, 8-5, while AFA's Shannon Buck and Tyler West combined to beat Jason Tan and Colin Day, 8-4, at the No. 3 spot. Urban Ljubic and Nejc Smole of DU beat Eric Pittman and Tyler McClung, 8-4, at the No. 1 spot.
Air Force then won five of the six singles matches. Buck finished the season with a 23-1 record at No. 1 singles after defeating Ljubic 6-2, 6-2. He posted the best single-season winning percentage in school history at No. 1 singles with a .958 percentage.
Pittman beat Smole in a thrilling three-setter at No. 2 singles, 6-7, 6-1, 7-6, winning the third set tiebreak, 7-5. McClung also won in three sets, beating Gaber 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Dong suffered AFA's only singles loss, dropping a 7-6, 6-4 decision to Zetterholm at No. 4. Trevor Johnson beat Tan at No. 5, 6-1, 3-6, (10-4), while Black beat Day, 6-2, 7-5 at No. 6.
Air Force travels to Provo, Utah next week for the 2003 Mountain West Conference Championships. The Falcons, seeded fourth, open the tournament on Thursday, April 24 again fifth-seeded Utah.
Air Force 6, Denver 1
Singles
1. Shannon Buck (AFA) def. Urban Ljubic 6-2, 6-2
2. Eric Pittman (AFA) def. Nejc Smole 6-7(4), 6-1, 7-6(5)
3. Tyler McClung (AFA) def. Hans Peter Gaber 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
4. Viktor Zetterholm (DU) def. Chris Dong 7-6(5), 6-4
5. Trevor Johnson (AFA) def. Jason Tan 6-1, 3-6, (10-4)
6. Martin Black (AFA) def. Colin Day 6-2, 7-5
Doubles
1. Ljubic/Smole (DU) def. Pittman/McClung 8-4
2. Dong/Black (AFA) def. Gaber/Zetterholm 8-5
3. Buck/Tyler West (AFA) def. Tan/Day 8-4
