Cutler and Hoeland Fall in NCAA Doubles Semifinals

RESULTS

Claremont, Calif., May 24, 2009 – Washington University seniors Charlie Cutler and Chris Hoeland’s run through the 2009 NCAA Division III Doubles Championship came to an end on Sunday as the duo dropped a 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4 setback to Amrit Ruspasinghe and Ben Stein of Bates College in the semifinals at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont, Calif.

The Bears had two set points in the opening set leading 6-5, but was denied as Stein held serve. In the tiebreaker, Cutler and Hoeland built a 2-1 lead, but the duo from Bates won the final six-straight points for a 7-2 victory.

After knotting the match with a 6-3 win in the second set, the senior duo from Washington U. trailed 5-4, 40-love and faced three match points. Two-straight points by the Bears made it 40-30, but Cutler missed a return of serve to the end the match.

Cutler ends his career as the all-time wins leader at Washington University, posting a 185-69 overall record. He is second all-time with 100 doubles victories, and is the first seven-time All-America in school history.

Hoeland caps his four-career as the all-time doubles win leader with a 104-30 mark. He also picked up 64 singles victories for a career record of 168-57. Hoeland and Cutler earned All-America honors three-consecutive seasons.

Cutler and Hoeland Advance to NCAA Doubles Semifinals

RESULTS

Claremont, Calif., May 23, 2009 – Seniors Charlie Cutler and Chris Hoeland of the Washington University men’s tennis team advanced to the semifinals in the doubles draw at the 2009 NCAA Division III Singles and Doubles Championships on Saturday, May 23, at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont, Calif. Junior John Watts was competing in the singles tournament, and was upset in the quarterfinals on Saturday morning.

Cutler and Hoeland overcame an early one-set deficit to pick up the win and advance to Sunday’s semifinal round. The Amherst College duo of Moritz Koenig and Zach Lerner, who were the tournament’s No. 4 seed, picked up a 6-4 opening set victory. Cutler and Hoeland staved off elimination with a very tight 7-6 (7-1) win in the second set, and went on to win the deciding third set, 6-4.

It was the second time this week that the two doubles teams faced one another, with Amherst’s Koening and Lerner defeating Cutler and Hoeland at No. 1 singles in the team semifinals on Wednesday, May 20; a match Amherst went on to win, 5-2.

Up next for the Washington U. No. 1 doubles team is Amrit Ruspasinghe and Ben Stein of Bates College. It will be the second year in a row that Cutler and Hoeland will square off against Bates’ top doubles team in the NCAA doubles championships, as Stein and Ruspasinghe earned a 5-7, 7-6, 6-1 victory in the quarterfinals last year at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.

Watts was upset by No. 7 seed Conrad Olson from Middlebury College in the singles quarterfinals. The two split the first two sets, 6-4, and Olson went on to win the deciding set by the same score. Watts was making his third-straight appearance in the NCAA singles championships, advancing to the semifinals in 2008, and falling in the championship match in 2007.

Cutler and Hoeland will play in the doubles semifinals on Sunday, May 24, in Claremont, Calif., at approximately 2:30 p.m. (PT), with the doubles championships to follow should they advance.

Watts, Cutler and Hoeland All Advance at Individual Champs

RESULTS

Claremont, Calif., May 22, 2009 – The Washington University men’s tennis team had three student-athletes in action as the 2009 NCAA Division III Individual Championships got underway on Friday, May 22, at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont, Calif. Sophomore John Watts picked up a pair of wins in singles to advance to the quarterfinals, while senior Charlie Cutler and Chris Hoeland survived a three-set tournament opening match to move on to the quarterfinals in the doubles draw.

Watts, who is the tournament’s No. 3 seed, won both of his matches in straight sets on Friday. He defeated Clifford Yook of Chapman University, 6-1, 6-0, in the first round, and dispatched Johns Hopkins University’s David Maldow, 6-2 6-1, in the second round. Watts improved to 38-4 this year in singles competition and 98-15 in his career, just two wins shy of win No. 100. He has a history of success at the NCAA Individual Championship, earning a runner-up finish in 2007, and advancing to the semifinals last year.

Cutler was also in singles competition on Friday, but he fell in the second round. He beat Dustin Phillips of the University of Texas-Tyler in the opening round, but dropped a tight three-set second round match to Johns Hopkins’ Andrew Wang, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

With two matches already under his belt on Friday, Cutler partnered with Hoeland in the first round of doubles competition. The pair was pushed to a third set by Salisbury University’s Evan Thomas and Scott Burtzlaff but the Washington U. No. 1 duo advanced with a, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, win.

Watts will meet the tournament’s No. 7 seed, Conrad Olson from Middlebury College in the NCAA quarterfinals on Saturday, May 23, at 9 a.m. (PT). Cutler and Hoeland will face the NCAA No. 4 seed in the doubles quarterfinals, Amherst College’s Moritz Koenig and Zach Lerner.