HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's tennis team kept its hopes for a championship repeat alive with an epic 4-3 win over Fresno State in the WAC Tournament semifinals  Saturday at the UH Tennis Complex. The No. 3 seed Warriors will now face Boise State in the tournament finals on Sunday at noon.

 

Senior Sascha Heinemann's three-set win over Remi Boutillier on the No. 4 court clinched the victory for the Warriors and capped a match that last more than four hours. It was the second straight year that UH beat Fresno State in the WAC Tournament. UH defeated the Bulldogs by a 4-2 count in the championship match last year in Las Cruces. The Bulldogs had defeated the Warriors, 4-3, in a regular-season match in Fresno on April 3.

 

The match got off to a thrilling start in double action. The teams split the No. 1 and No. 2 courts with UH taking No. 1, 8-5, behind the tandem of Dennis Lajola and Jeff Fitch. Fresno State won court No. 2 by a score of 8-4 behind Rikus de Villiers and Remi Boutillier. The third doubles match between UH's Heinemann and Craig Faulk and the Bulldogs' Taylor Leiby and Tejesvi Veerepali would last nearly 90 minutes. In a back-and-forth affair, the pair of Leiby and Veerepali eventually outlasted Faulk and Heinemann, 9-8, including a 9-7 count in the tie-breaker.

 

UH bounced back with three straight wins in singles to take a 3-1 lead. Leo Rosenberg started if off with a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of de Villiers on the No. 3 court. Fitch followed with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Veerepali on the No. 5 court. Lajola put UH one point away from victory after he defeated Mirko Zapletal 7-5, 6-1 at the No. 1 position.

 

The Bulldogs, however, came back with two straight wins to even the score, 3-3. Rudolf Siwy defeated Andreas Weber 6-3, 6-0 on the No. 2 court, while Flavio Mollinedo out-lasted Philipp Eberhard 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.

 

It all came down to court No. 4 and Heinemann versus Boutillier. Heinemann battled back from a one-set deficit, by winning the final two sets in thrilling fashion, 7-5, 6-4. It was the 11^th straight win for the native of Eschwege, Germany, and it helped assure UH just its second-ever appearance in the WAC Tournament finals.

 

UH and Boise State will now meet for the second time in a little more than a week. The 20^th-ranked Broncos, beat Hawai`i, 6-1, in Boise on April 17.

 

 

1. Dennis Lajola/Jeff Fitch def. #37 Mirko Zapletal/Rudolf Siwy (FS), 8-5

2. Rikus de Villiers/Remi Boutillier (FS) def. Andreas Weber/Leo Rosenberg (UH), 8-4

3. Taylor Leiby/Tejesvi Veerepali (FS) def. Craig Faulk/Sascha Heinemann (UH), 9-8 (9-7)

 

1.  #60 Dennis Lajola (UH) def. Mirko Zapletal (FS) 7-5, 6-1

2. #61 Rudolf Siwy (FS) def. Andreas Weber (UH), 6-3, 6-0

3. Leo Rosenberg (UH) def. Rikus de Villiers (FS) 6-3, 6-0

4. Sascha Heinemann (UH ) def. Remi Boutillier (FS) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4

5. Jeff Fitch (UH) def. Tejesvi Veerepali (FS), 6-2, 6-4

6. Flavio Mollinedo (FS) def. Philipp Eberhard (UH) 6-7, 6-4, 6-2