Participating in a first-round qualifying match at the Virginia National Bank Men’s Tennis Challenger, the UVa freshman defeated Jamie Baker of Great Britain, 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, 6-3. Baker, the 346th-ranked player in the world, was the No. 1 seed in the qualifying bracket.

In New York, Virginia’s Michael Shabaz made history on Wednesday afternoon, and had an experience he’ll remember for the rest of his life in the process.

The Virginia men’s doubles team of Dom Inglot and Michael Shabaz, who won the NCAA doubles championship in College Station, Texas on Monday, were wearing their medals as Wahoo fans greeted them at the terminal.

Dominic Inglot and Michael Shabaz made sure the Virginia tennis team didn’t leave the NCAA Tennis Tournament empty handed.

Michael Shabaz, teaming with Dom Inglot, lost in doubles to North Carolina, but came back with vengeance in his singles, pacing Virginia to a 4-0 NCAA tournament victory that advanced the Cavaliers (31-0) to a round of 16 tilt against Florida State that kicks off on Thursday in College Station, Texas.

No. 1 Virginia (22-0, 7-0 ACC) knocked off the Hurricanes and Seminoles by identical 4-3 scores to stay undefeated.

Virginia’s trip to Illinois last January was one of its most electric of the season. Playing in front of a packed house, UVa staved off defeat at several junctures and wound up defeating the Illini.

It was a tough day for both the Virginia men’s and women’s tennis programs at Friday’s ITA Indoor National Championships at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.

Often times, the hardest kind of tennis opponent is the one whose sole focus is keeping the ball in play via high-arcing topspin shots. The points tend to be long, leading to both mental and physical fatigue.

In Tulsa, Okla., Virginia junior Dom Inglot is a completely different player than he was only a month ago.

Virginia freshman Michael Shabaz hasn’t really thought about how many pounds he’s dropped since the fall.