May 21, 2009
Updated NCAA Men's Singles Draw in PDF Format 
Updated NCAA Men's Doubles Draw in PDF Format
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M senior All-American Conor Pollock (San Antonio, Texas) had about three hours between matches to get ready for a back-to-back grind, one in singles and one in doubles at the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Championships held Thursday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
He punched his ticket into the round of 16 twice, but not without a fight from the opposition. In the singles draw, No. 86-ranked Damon Gooch of Elon challenged Pollock into a pair of set tiebreaks in which he closed out the first one on a service ace and the second pretty handedly, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (2). The No. 17-ranked and three-time All-Big 12 Conference performer will face No. 52-ranked Dean Jackson of San Diego, who upset seventh-seeded Michael Venus of LSU, tomorrow at 11 a.m. (CT). Pollock becomes only the fifth all-time A&M player to reach the round of 16 in singles next to All-Americans Jerry Makowski in 2005, Ryan Newport in 2002, Shuon Madden in 2000 and Grant Connell in 1985.
"I started out a little flat," said Pollock, who is off to a good run at the tournament after falling in the first round in 2008. "I wasn't quite ready for his level, but I picked it up, and started making a few more returns. There was a period there where I was returning really well. It's just about reading the opponent's serve. I started catching on to his patterns and where he liked to go on certain points, but he served really well the whole match. The first tiebreaker was more nerve racking than the second. I think I just handled the pressure better on the second one. Hopefully, I'm turning that train around in this tournament. It feels good to advance."
Pollock was able to turn things around, and quickly, as he teamed up with sophomore All-American Austin Krajicek (Brandon, Fla.) in the opening round of the 32-team doubles draw. The seventh-ranked tandem opened their first-round match against No. 16-ranked Antoine Benneteau and Joey Burkhardt of Florida by getting a service break to take a 3-0 lead in the first set. The Gators fought back and split sets in the second, 6-3, and tied up the third at five-all. Pollock served up a love game to take a one-game advantage, 6-5, and A&M avoided a third-set tiebreaker as Benneteau double faulted with the score at 40-15. Game, set, match, Aggies.
"We did a good job there in the last game," Krajicek said. "We were returning well and we just came up big when we needed it. We could have done a better job in the second set, but they played well. They are a good team, but we did well in the third and we just went for our shots more. Making breaks is a key part of the game, especially in men's tennis. You're always looking for that one break and luckily, we got it today in the third."
Krajicek and Pollock will meet No. 34-ranked Robert McKenzie and John Peers of Middle Tennessee State in their second consecutive round of 16 appearance tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. (CT). Last year, they made a historic run to the NCAA men's doubles semifinals held in Tulsa, Okla.
"Everyone here is really good, so all of these matches come down to a couple of points," Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton said. "We played a really good first set in the doubles today. I think Florida got a little more aggressive and took it to us a little bit more in the second set. We got behind earlier in the set and then we couldn't claw our way back in. In the third set, we had our chances, but we let them back in after being up a break. Then, it was a dog fight and the quality of doubles was really raised toward the end by both teams. It was a really close doubles match and it could have gone either way. Our guys were able to get through it today."
Play continues tomorrow beginning at 11 a.m. (CT) and concludes on Monday, May 25 with the men's and women's singles and doubles finals. Live scoring and live video will be available throughout the individual tournament via www.AggieAthletics.com.
NCAA Division I Tennis Championships
May 21, 2009
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
College Station, Texas
Men's Singles
Round of 32
(9-16) Conor Pollock (Texas A&M) def. Damon Gooch (Elon), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (2)
Men's Doubles
Round of 32
(5-8) Krajicek-Pollock (Texas A&M) def. Benneteau-Burkhardt (Florida), 6-3, 3-6, 7-5