University of Tennessee Athletics
Libietis, Reese Punch National Playoff Tickets
June 02, 2015 | Men's Tennis
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Recent graduates Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese took a step toward the U.S. Open tournament field with winning performances this week at the USTA Mid-Atlantic Sectional Qualifying.
On Tuesday, top-seeded Libietis defeated second-seeded Reese 6-0, 6-2 in the finals to win the singles title at the College Park Tennis Club. In five matches over the four-day tournament, Libietis did not drop a set and won 6 of 10 sets by a 6-0 score.
Libietis and Reese returned to the court in the afternoon, this time on the same side of the net. The national champion duo collected a 6-1, 6-3 victory over brothers Jason Kros and Ryan Kros.
Tournament victory in hand, Libietis qualifies for the singles championships of the U.S. Open National Playoffs, which will be held Aug. 21-24 as part of the Connecticut Open in New Haven, Conn. Libietis and Reese will play in the doubles championships at the same site Aug. 25-28.
The singles champion of the national playoff earns a qualifying wild card to the U.S. Open. The doubles champions will earn a main draw wild card. Reese accepted a USTA wild card last year and played doubles at the 2014 U.S. Open with Peter Kobelt, becoming the first active Vol since 1987 to play in a Grand Slam main draw.
The U.S. Open National Playoffs is open to any active member of the USTA. There are 14 sectional tournaments, with the winners at each site advancing to the national event. This is the first year men's and women's doubles has been part of the competition. In previous years, the playoffs have only included singles and mixed doubles.
Libietis and Reese, the 2014 NCAA doubles champions, ended their Tennessee careers as three-time All-Americans and three-time national doubles champions. They finished with 96 doubles wins together, fourth-most by a men's college pair in recorded NCAA history.
Individually, Libietis ranks ninth in singles (106) and fourth in doubles (118) in career wins in Tennessee history. He is the only Vol to hold the No. 1 ranking in singles and doubles simultaneously, doing so during his SEC Player of the Year performance as a sophomore. Though he spent most of the year ranked just outside the top 10, Libietis enjoyed his best singles season as a senior; his .867 winning percentage (26-4) is the third best in a season in program history.
Libietis and Reese have one more task ahead in the orange and white before beginning their professional tennis careers. They will be honored Saturday as one of the amateur teams of the year at the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame annual induction banquet in Nashville.
