Nov. 4, 2004
Ann Arbor, Mich. - Junior Ryler DeHeart and sophomore GD Jones are at it again in Ann Arbor, Mich., but this time it's against the nation's elite at the ITA National Indoor tournament hosted by the University of Michigan. The 17th ranked duo of DeHeart and Jones moved into the doubles quarterfinal after winning their opener and in singles, DeHeart won his first round match.
In doubles, DeHeart and Jones faced a daunting first round opponent in Arizona's No. 5 ranked combo of Roger Matalonga and Colin O'Grady. The Illini duo continued their stellar play they have shown in recent weeks as they quieted the Wildcat team 9-7. DeHeart and Jones are now 11-2 on the season and head to the quarterfinals where they take on Stanford's KC Corkery and Sam Warburg who are currently the No. 1 team in the nation and are seeded second in the tournament.
"I thought they could have been more consistent early on with the execution of the volleys and returning serves, which we were broken on in the first two games," said associate head coach Brad Dancer. "I was real pleased however with how they responded. They never lost their cool and showed a lot composure down the stretch, which was the difference in the end."
DeHeart singles journey started today against No. 29 Roger Matalonga of Arizona, who he also met in the doubles competition earlier in the day. The junior started a bit slow to start the match as he lost the first set 6-1. Things could have escalated at that point, but resiliency took over in the second set as he responded with a resounding 6-2 victory and then closed the match in the third with a 6-4 winner.
"Ryler had some similar unforced mistakes early on like they had in doubles," Dancer said. "He started finding his groove in the second game and dictated nearly every point in the second and third game. Overall, I am pleased with today's results, but I am looking forward to tomorrow because I know they can play a lot better."
For complete bracket information please visit www.itatennis.com
Main Draw Results
Singles:
No. 95 Ryler DeHeart (ILL) def. No. 29 Roger Matalonga (Arizona); 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
Doubles:
No. 17 DeHeart/Jones (ILL) def. No. 5 Roger Matalonga/Colin O'Grady (Arizona); 9-7
