FINAL RESULTS
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University men's tennis senior
Scott Webster was nothing short of stellar at the prestigious ITA Oracle Masters Tournament held in Malibu, Calif.
Featuring a player from each conference across the country, 32 players were selected to compete in the five-day event hosted by Pepperdine.
After falling to Dennis Upsensky of Pepperdine in a hard-fought three-set match in the opening round on Thursday, Webster ran the table with four-straight wins in the consolidation bracket en route to capturing the triumph in the final contest over UC Santa Barbara's Simon Freund in three frames, 6-7, 6-1, 7-6 (3). Three of Webster's four victories would come in three sets while ending the tournament with a solid 4-1 mark.
"It was probably the best tennis tournament of my life," Webster stated following the final day of competition. "It was hard to focus at times because I was in awe of the facilities and the serenity in Malibu. It took me a couple matches to find my feet, but I managed to win despite not playing my best".
Webster started his run when he dealt Marist's Javier Restrepo a 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-0, defeat to advance to the following round, which resulted in an impressive victory over 33rd-ranked Eduardo Mena (Tennessee Tech) in another three-set battle. The Sun Belt representative fought back from a one-set deficit to force a match-deciding frame before upending Mena, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1).
To advance to the consolation final, Webster needed to get past Tim Handel of Northern Arizona and did so by downing Handel in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.
In the fourth and final match, Webster had to come back one again after Freund collected the first set, 7-6. Webster stepped up in the second stanza to convincingly force a final frame, 6-1, followed by a tight third game that the Australian ultimately would win, ending the weekend on a high note.
"I was absolutely stoked to get some big wins over highly-ranked guys in the nation this week, and I think it put our program on the national map," Webster said.
The Mountaineers will continue to their successful fall campaign when they head to Cary, N.C. for the ITA Regionals, which will take place Oct. 11-15.