University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols' Martin Advances to Semifinals at South Carolina Fall Invitational
October 20, 2002 | Men's Tennis
Oct. 20, 2002
The University of Tennessee men's tennis team is competing in the South Carolina Fall Invitational this weekend. While some Volunteers have struggled through the early rounds of the event, freshman Rawl Martin has looked solid, earning a spot in his draw's semifinal round.
Playing in the "B-2" singles draw, Martin first defeated Augusta State's Jackson Hubert, notching an impressive 6-1, 6-0 first-round win. Martin's second-round opponent on Saturday was Coastal Carolina University's Mohammed El-Bouzkouri. The young Vol defeated El-Bouzkouri 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals of his draw.
Then in only his fourth collegiate event, Martin knocked off UNC Asheville's Adam Branks 6-1, 7-5 for a chance to take on UNC Charlotte sophomore Jonathan Clark in Sunday's semifinal round.
Playing as the No. 5 seed in the "A-1" draw, Wade Orr rode a bye into the round of 32 where he was upset by Rice junior Vuk Rajevac 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Orr, however, managed to bounce back in his first consolation match, dispatching Charleston Southern University sophomore Zalan Kiss 6-3, 6-2. North Carolina State's R.J. Murray was Orr's next victim, falling to the Vol junior 6-4, 6-1 in the third consolation round Saturday.
With the victory over Murray catapulting him into the consolation quarterfinals, Orr continued to excel, capping-off a strong day by downing Stetson University's Aleksandar Antonijevic 6-0, 6-3. Orr will now face the No. 7 seed Ruben Zrihen from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the "A-1" singles semifinals on Sunday.
Tennessee sophomore Mark Henderson, also competing in the "A-1" singles bracket, was a 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 first-round loser to Georgia Tech's Roger Anderson, the 20th ranked player in the nation and the event's No. 1 seed. Henderson then went on to lose 6-2, 6-4 Saturday afternoon to UAB's Patrick Suhrbier.
Vol netters Mark Dietrich and Simon Rea are not competing in this weekend's event. Vincent Perna is also being held out of competition due to an ankle injury.
All semifinal and final round matches will take place Sunday.
Players Mentioned
