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USC's Cubas pulls off NCAA upset
CommentsCOLLEGE STATION, Texas — South Carolina’s Diego Cubas beat fourth-seeded Denes Lukacs of Baylor in three sets in the men’s first round, while both Clemson women’s players won in the first round at the NCAA singles championships on Wednesday.
Cubas, ranked No. 54 in the country, beat Lukacs 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the biggest upset by seed of the first day. Cubas will play Jay Weinacker of N.C. State, who beat Marek Michalicka of Wisconsin.
“Lukacs started the match well,” Cubas said. “He was serving hard and had a very good forehand. Once I got the break in the first game of the second set, I felt like I could come back and win. I started serving much better in the second and third sets as well.”
Clemson’s Ani Mijacika, the women’s No. 4 seed, rallied after losing the first set in a tiebreaker to beat SMU’s Marta Lesniak 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-5 to advance to the round of 32 for the second consecutive season. Mijacika will play Laura Vallverdu of Miami today.
Clemson’s other player in the women’s tournament, Josipa Bek, beat Anastasia Petukhova of Fresno State 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. She will play Kristy Frilling of Notre Dame today in the second round; Frilling beat Bek in the team competition on Friday.
In other women’s competition, USC’s Ana Marie Zubori lost to second-seeded Julia Cohen of Miami 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Singles play continues today as well as the first round of the doubles tournament.
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