Handoyo Enters NCAA Individual Play as No. 2 Seed
May 22, 2002 | Men's Tennis
May 22, 2002
COLLEGE STATION, Texas-- Tennessee fell in the NCAA semifinal round Monday evening to eventual champion USC 4-3, but several talented Vols will be competing in the individual singles and doubles championships set to begin Wednesday, at the Texas A&M Tennis Center.
Tennessee will be represented by Peter Handoyo and Mario Toledo in singles, while Toledo will also be paired with Simon Rea in the doubles draw.
The Vols will be led at the event by Handoyo, who was honored as the singles tournament's No. 2 seed following an undefeated SEC and NCAA Tournament run that included eight straight wins over ranked opponents.
Handoyo, who is ranked No. 7 in the latest ITA poll, will take on local favorite Ryan Newport of Texas A&M in the opening round Wednesday beginning at 1 p.m. (EDT). Newport is ranked No. 44 in the latest ITA poll and currently stands at 18-10 on the season. Handoyo has won his last 13 singles matches and boasts an 18-2 record on the season against ranked foes.
"Being awarded the No. 2 seed is a great form of recognition for Pete (Handoyo)," UT head coach Michael Fancutt said. "I feel he is playing some of the best tennis in the country right now and I feel he has as good a chance as anybody to win the whole thing."
Toledo comes into the individual championships as the nation's No. 18 ranked player and leads the Vols this season in singles wins with 33. Toledo has won eight of his last 11 matches, including a win versus No. 87-ranked Ryan Moore in the Vols' loss to USC Monday.
The Delray Beach, Fla., senior will have a tough first-round matchup against No. 13-ranked John Frttero of California. Fruttero posted a 17-7 record on the season while playing No. 1 for the Bears. The Toledo-Fruttero match will begin at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
"Both Pete (Handoyo) and Mario (Toledo) played great matches against USC yesterday," Fancutt said. "Hopefully they can continue that form into tomorrow's individual matches."
Toledo will also have a tough test in the opening doubles round, as he and partner Simon Rea take on No. 2 seed Scott Lipsky and David Martin of Stanford. Martin and Lipsky are currently 31-8 on the season and are ranked No. 2 by the ITA.
Toledo and Rea have posted an 18-10 record on the season and have been a strong part of the Vols' efforts in winning the doubles point in their last 12 matches. The No. 22-ranked duo will be an underdog Wednesday, but have showed time and again this season they can compete with the top tandems in the game. The duo's latest big win came Monday, when they clinched the doubles tally for the Vols in an 8-6 win over No. 9-ranked Nick Rainey and Ryan Moore of USC. The doubles match is set to begin after the completion of Thursday's singles matches.
