New England ITA Day 1 Recap

Day 1 NE ITA Recap

Lots of ITA action across the country today, but let’s be honest, one of them is simply a class above the rest of the weekend’s activities. Here are the most surprising results of the day a recap of my Day-1 predictions, and some more bulletin board material for tomorrow. Only a singles recap tonight, as some of the doubles results are still trickling in.

Day 1 Singles Prediction Recap:

Singles: 25-7 in the 1st round, 13-3 2nd round.

Yeah, I missed a biggy with Harron, but I’d still say that’s pretty damn decent!

3 Surprising 1st Round Results

1) 1st round: Chase Savage (Bowdoin) defeats #7 Brian Granoff (Brandeis), 6-2, 6-2.

The seed really tells the story here. Granoff had a spectacular close to his freshman season, finishing a win away from All-American status. However his fall has been less than stellar. He lost early at Middlebury last week, and today he went down HANDILY to Savage, Bowdoin’s #5 from last spring. Maybe Savage is looking to mirror his buddy Trinka, coming out of nowhere and taking the crown. Chase took down the freshmen Griffin Brockman (Tufts) 4&0 in round 2.

2) 1st round: Vlad Murad (Colby) defeats #5 Conrad Harron (Williams), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

Ok, I’m not one to admit fault easily, but this pick was my bad. I knew Murad was a tough 1st round matchup. I knew he had a great 2013-2014 pre-injury. I knew he’s liable to come alive at any moment, and yet I still picked Conrad to do his thing. Harron joins Yaraghi and Fife as sophomores who blatantly failed to live up to their freshmen ITA performances. Vlad went down to Michael Liu (Wesleyan) in 3 sets in the 2nd round.

3) 1st round: Isaac Thylen (Babson) defeats Rob Jacobson (Tufts), 6-4, 6-2.

I feel like Isaac Thylen has been around for 8-10 years now. The blond banshee has always played 2nd fiddle to Roberto Perez, but this may just be his chance to show what he’s made of. I liked Jacobson to have a good tournament after a nice win vs. Planche at the Middlebury Invite, but it looks like he’ll have to root on his teammates (Ali and Telkedzhiev) in the morning.

3rd Round Matchups:

#1 Carl Reid (Colby) vs. #9-15 Nik Telkedzhiev (Tufts)

Love this matchup. Winner could be the favorite to reach the finals. I’m going with the upset, and taking the Bulgarian in 3 tough sets. 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

#9-15 Andrew Yaraghi (Amherst) vs. Jackson Frons (Midd)

Not surprising that Frons took down #8 Carpenter (Trinity) in the 2nd round. We all know Frons is streaky, which is why I’m going with Yaraghi to grind him down in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.

#6 Noah Farrell (Midd) vs. Zain Ali (Tufts)

Great fall for Ali so far, but he’s going against the one freshman who has had a better one. Ali took down Wang (MIT) and Einbinder (Amherst), but Farrell is a whole different type of beast. I think Ali keeps it close, but Farrell earns a spot in the quarters, 7-6, 6-2.

#9-15 Steven Chen (Wesleyan) vs. #4 Anton Zykov (Amherst)

Both of these guys looked damn good today. Zykov was pushed to 3-sets by Tercek (Bowdoin), but steamrolled Jackson (Midd) in the 2nd round. Chen has been impressive, taking down Oh (MIT) and Wong (Tufts), but Zykov is simply a class above those two. Look for the sophomore to take down the freshman, 6-2, 7-5.

#3 Ari Smolyar (Midd) vs. #9-15 Pierre Planche (Bates)

Another matchup that I’m pretty excited about. Both guys can smoke the ball, and both are looking to make a claim as legitimate #1’s. Planche has a little more to prove than Smolyar, but if Pierre can come out firing I think he has the firepower to pull off the upset. I’m still taking Smolyar though, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

#9-15Aaron Revzin (Babson) vs. Michael Liu (Wesleyan)

Liu was one of the pleasant surprises of day 1, and another positive aspect of Wesleyan’s coming out party. I think the sophomore continues the Cardinal run, and becomes the 2nd Card into the quarters, 6-3, 6-3.

Chase Savage (Bowdoin) vs. Zach Hall (Gordon)

Woah now, look at this matchup. Zach Hall coming out of nowhere, a real Cinderella story, and will take on a junior Polar Bear primed to make a run. No, it’s not Luke Trinka, but Chase Savage! And I’m taking Mr. Savage to end the Fighting Scot’s tournament, 6-4, 6-2.

Rohan Shastri (Williams) vs. #2 Michael Solimano (Amherst)

Another top 3 matchup of the round. I think Shastri has the chance to be one of the best players in the country, but I also think that this will be the year of Michael Solimano. I’m taking the Jeff over the Eph, and I think Solimano might be the favorite to win the tournament at this point.