Liberty University
ITA All-American Championships
Wilson/Worst Continue Run at ITA All-Americans, Punch Ticket to Quarterfinals
10/6/2022 7:55:15 PM | Men's Tennis
The Liberty doubles duo of Josh Wilson and Christiaan Worst continued their unprecedented run at the ITA Men’s All-American Championships, winning their doubles main draw round of 16 match to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals.
Wilson and Worst faced TCU’s Luc Fomba and Pedro Vives Marcos in a round of 16 match and won in three sets, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 1-0 (10-6) at Tulsa’s Michael D. Case Tennis Center. Wilson and Worst are the first duo in program history to advance to the quarterfinals in the doubles main draw and first to compete in the main draw at the prestigious tournament featuring the best of the best in collegiate tennis.
In tomorrow’s quarterfinals, the Flames duo will match up with South Carolina’s No. 37 Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson. Match time is 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Wilson and Worst are one of only eight doubles teams left in the main draw.
Thoughts From Head Coach Derek Schwandt
“Josh and Christiaan enjoyed the battle and played with awesome enthusiasm. They responded in a big way down a break 6-5 in the first set after having two set points earlier in the set. That’s the main focus and challenge for our whole team. Keep responding.”
Key Stats & Notes
• Wilson and Worst led 5-2 in the first set and had two set points. TCU’s Fomba and Vives Marcos took the next two points to cut the Liberty lead to 5-3. The Horned Frogs duo won the next three games for a 6-5 lead and were on serve with a chance to win the set. The Flames duo broke serve to force a tiebreaker.
• The tiebreaker was knotted at 4-all before Wilson and Worst won the final three points and the set, 7-6 (4).
• Fomba and Vives Marcos bounced back with a 6-2 set two win, but Wilson and Worst responded with a 10-6 win the third set to take the match.
• The Flames duo is 5-0 at the event, including a 2-0 record in the main draw and 3-0 mark in qualifying.
• Four of Wilson and Worst’s five wins this week have been in three sets. The duo has two ranked wins at the event.
• The duo sports a 7-1 record this fall and 15-2 mark since joining forces halfway through the spring 2022 season.
• While Fomba and Vives Marcos were not a nationally-ranked squad, Fomba and his other teammate, Jacob Fearnley, are the No. 1-ranked doubles team in the country. Fomba is also the No. 5-ranked singles player in the nation in the ITA Division I Men’s Singles Rankings.
• Through six days of competition at ITA All-Americans, Liberty has a 6-1 doubles mark and 4-4 singles record between four competitors. The Flames finished competing in singles on Tuesday, with each player posting a 1-1 record. Liberty’s Rafael Marques Da Silva and Beau Pelletier finished 1-1 in doubles.
Up Next
In Thursday’s quarterfinal round, Wilson and Worst will square off with No. 37 Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson of South Carolina. First serve is 3:30 p.m.
Cracked Racquets is set to provide a CrossCourt Cast during the main draw. Offering an elevated experience from the traditional live-stream broadcast, this CrossCourt Cast will offer viewers a unique experience to keep up with all of the best matches on the court at both the ITA Men’s and Women’s All-American Championships, while hearing expert commentary from Mark Bey and Alex Gruskin.
Tournament Website: https://bit.ly/3B34wEo
Live Video Stream: https://bit.ly/3CbPldx
Remaining Schedule
Friday Through Sunday – Main Draw
