Bulldogs Baron, Mcdonald Advance In NCAA Doubles; Baron Upset In Singles
May 25, 2016 | Men's Tennis
The MSU duo, ranked 21st nationally, rallied from a 4-2 deficit in a first-set tiebreaker to win that breaker and go on to post a 7-6(5), 6-2 victory over Duke's 22nd-ranked tandem of Phillip King and Ramsey Smith.
Baron and McDonald, now 9-3 on the year, will meet Southern Cal's 11th-ranked team of Ryan Moore and Nick Rainey, a 5-8 alphabetical seed, in Saturday's round of 16. That match is slated to begin at 2 p.m. ET.
In singles action Friday, Baron, the tournament's No. 1 seed and ranked second nationally, was upset by Tennessee's 25th-ranked Peter Handoyo in a three-set contest 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
After losing the close first set, Baron took control in the second with three breaks of serve to force the third frame. Handoyo quickly gained a 2-0 advantage in the third set, but Baron battled back for a 2-2 tie. Handoyo, however, would break right back and go on for the win.
In addition to daily updates on MSU's official athletic site, www.mstateathletics.com, MSU's play in the 2001 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships can be followed on the web at www.ncaachampionships.com, as well as www.georgiadogs.com, with live updates for all matches being hosted on the Georgia site.
2001 NCAA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS -- ATHENS, GA
NCAA SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP Second Round--#25 Peter Handoyo (Tennessee) def. #2 Marco Baron (MSU)6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
NCAA DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP First Round--#21 Baron/Chris McDonald (MSU) def. #22 Phillip King/RamseySmith (Duke) 7-6(5), 6-2.
(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)
