Alabama
NCAA Singles Round of 32
Filip Planinsek Advances to NCAA Championships Round of 16 with Win over Cannon Kingsley
5/21/2024 6:17:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Planinsek is just the second UA player in program history to make the Round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championships
STILLWATER, Okla. –– Alabama's Filip Planinsek, ranked 29th nationally, upset Ohio State's Cannon Kingsley, ranked 17th, Tuesday to become just the second player in program history to reach the Round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championships. After the first set went into a tiebreaker, Planinsek dominated the second round to post a 7-6(5), 6-1 win over Kingsley in the Round of 32.
Planinsek joins Mazen Osama as the only two players in program history to reach the Round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championships. With his advancement, Planinsek also secured All-America honors as the first UA player to achieve the feat since Osama and Patrick Kaukovalta earned the honor in doubles in 2019. With the addition of Planinsek, Alabama has had eight singles All-Americans that have tallied 10 total honors in the event with Osama picking up the last singles accolade in 2018.
Planinsek's victory over Kingsley is his second this season after the two battled head-to-head at the ITA National Indoor Championships in February, resulting in a 7-6(2), 7-6(5) victory for the UA junior. In a competitive matchup, the two have seen three seven-point tiebreakers out of their four head-to-head sets this season with Planinsek sweeping both matches.
The Match
- Planinsek jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but Kingsley won the next three games to tie the opening set at 3-3
- The two traded points before landing at a 6-6 tie
- After Kingsley secured the first two points, Planinsek rallied to win the next three and take the lead in the tiebreaker
- After tying at 3-3 and 5-5, Planinsek fought through the final two points to secure the opening set at 7-6(5)
- Planinsek would enter the second set with momentum, winning back-to-back games for a 2-0 start
- The Ohio State fifth-year won his lone game to bring the score to 2-1, however a dominant run by Planinsek clinched the match with a 6-1 decision in the second set
Next
- Planinsek will face Texas senior Micah Braswell in the Round of 16 on Wednesday
- Braswell enters the match ranked fifth nationally in the ITA singles rankings
- First serve between Planinsek and Braswell will be announced late Tuesday
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Team Stats
# Singles Match
Players Mentioned
