Niemeyer Captures Challenger Title
December 5, 1999 | Men's Tennis
Dec. 5, 1999
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - It was quite a day for the unseeded in the final day of competition in the 1999 $50,000 USTA Challenger at the Atkins Tennis Center, as Canadian Frederic Niemeyer defeated No. 4 seed, Sebastian Lareau, in an all-Canadian final, 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-6(5), while in doubles, the duo of Paul Goldstein and Jim Thomas took their match to the brink, upsetting No. 1 seed, Mike and Bob Bryan, 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(5).
Niemeyer took advantage of Lareau's mistakes in the tie-breaker to capture the first set, 7-6(7). Lareau controlled all aspects of the second set, winning easily 6-3. But it was the third set where Niemeyer proved his mettle. Not giving each other any opportunities, Niemeyer and Lareau pushed the match to a 6-6 tie-breaker. In the tie-breaker, Niemeyer held a 6-1 advantage before Lareau stormed back, winning the next four points. However, Niemeyer's serve proved to be too dominate as he aced his final serve for match point..
In an all-American doubles final, the word of the day was marathon, as the match would be decided in three tie-breaker sets. The Bryan's managed to capture the first set 7-6(7). In the second set, the Bryan's managed to go up 5 -3 before Goldstein/Thomas rallied back, pushing the match to a tie-breaker, which they eventually won, 7-6(5). The third set was almost an exact replica of the second set, in which the Bryan's took an early lead, but Goldstein/Thomas rallied and won with the same result, 7-6(5).
