News Release Date:
Monday, September 28
WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Whitman College senior Matt Solomon won his third straight regional singles title Monday afternoon, overcoming a physically exhausted freshman teammate in three sets on the final day of the annual Wilson/ITA Pacific Northwest Fall Championships.
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Matt Solomon |
Playing on Whitman's outdoor courts, Solomon posted a 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory over Jeffrey Tolman, who struggled to finish the third set.
Counting his play in the doubles bracket, the match was Tolman's ninth since the tournament started Saturday morning.
Earlier on Monday, Solomon beat Linfield's Mark Magdaong 6-4, 6-1 in one of two semifinal matches.
Tolman advanced to the finals by surviving a Monday morning semifinal battle with Whitman junior Chris Bailey, winning 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2). Tolman bolted to a 5-2 lead in the first set, but Bailey responded by winning four straight games for a 6-5 lead.
After holding serve to send the set to a tie-breaker, Tolman won the breaker's first four points, two on aces, and finished off the set 7-4.
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| Jeffrey Tolman |
The second set stayed on serve through 5-5, although Bailey had to fight off a few match points to hold serve and win his fifth game.
Bailey then broke Tolman and was serving for the set at 6-5, but Tolman broke back to set the stage for another tie-breaker. Bailey won the first point before Tolman reeled off four straight to take charge of the breaker, set and match.
Solomon and Magdaong traded service breaks to start their first set. They stayed on serve until Solomon broke Magdong for a 5-4 lead. Solomon then served out the set, getting the final point with an ace.
After Magdaong held serve to take the second set's first game, Solomon took off, winning the next six games to close out the match.
As the regional tournament's singles champion, Solomon advances to the ITA's Small College Championships, set for Oct. 15-18 in Mobile, Ala.
Tournament website, complete results
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CONTACT: Dave Holden
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