Rome, GA - The day started off cloudy, and with some sporadic rain showers and matches were moved indoors and delayed. After waiting through the morning, the sun came out and play resumed.
Matt Kandel faced his opponent from Carnegie Mellon. The two players matched up with similar game styles, and the first set featured some long, grueling points where both players were trying to gain the upper hand.
Ultimately, CMU's player played some big points very well, and earned a break to go up 4-3. He didn't look back, and took the first set 6-4. Kandel wasn't deterred however, and he came back with an early break of his own in the second set, and went up 3-1. CMU quickly broke back though, with some excellent shot making. Kandel broke back immediately, and this time was clinical on his service game. With some strong serve and volleying, Kandel powered his way to the second set 6-3.
Locked at a set apiece, the match was truly up for grabs. Kandel jumped out to an early 3-1 lead after a big no-ad deuce point break, followed up with some serve and volley magic. At 3-1 CMU looked to be faltering, but managed to find a second wind, and reeled off three straight games to go up 4-3. Kandel quickly held for 4-4, and at 4-4 it would go to a no-ad deuce point. A gutsy second serve from CMU caught Kandel surprised, and he would have to serve at 4-5 to stay in the match and the tournament.
Kandel held his nerve though, and held at 4-5, and then again at 5-6 to send the match to a tiebreaker. Kandel jumped out to a 5-1 lead, backed by two aces. CMU played three stellar points in a row, leaving Kandel to serve for the match at 5-4. A serve and volley combo resulted in a scramble of a point, and Kandel slammed the overhead home giving him his first match point. He needed only one more point to win. Kandel's first serve landed and CMU's return fell into the net. It was an absolute barn burner of a match, and Eph assistant coach
Andrew Dorr commented, "After a slow start, Matt found his form and was exceptional in the last two sets. He played the big points with purpose and poise, especially in the final set tiebreak. I am very pleased with today's performance and win and look forward to tomorrow against another formidable opponent." Kandel plays again tomorrow at noon in the final four.
Singles
Kandel (WIL) def. Jangbahadur (CMU) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4)
