Becker Falls in Finals of National Tennis Tournament
11/11/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Nov. 11, 2001
Waco, Texas - Freshman Benni Becker's storybook performance in the Omni Hotels National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships held at the Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas, didn't have quite the ending he would have liked. Becker took Minnesota junior Harsh Mankad to three sets before falling to the two-time All-Big Ten performer, 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 7-6 (7-2.)
Becker jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set, only to see Mankad win five straight games and eventually force the tie-breaker. In the first set tie-breaker Becker led 5-2 and let it slip to 5-5 before winning the last two points.
Mankad needed only 18 minutes to take the second set 6-0. In the third, they exchanged service breaks in the opening two games, then both held serve the remainder of the way to force the tie-breaker. Mankad jumped out to a 6-1 lead due to two Becker double faults in the tie-break.
Becker, ranked No. 98 nationally, became the first freshman finalist in men's singles since 1997 champion Mike Russell of Miami (Fla.). The Orscholz, Germany native, is Baylor's first player to advance past the first round. En route to the finals, Becker knocked off five players ranked higher than him nationally, defeating No. 4, No. 15, No. 37, and No. 57.
This event, presented by The Dallas Morning News and hosted by SMU, is the nation's premier collegiate indoor tennis tournament and is the second of three national championship events for college tennis this season. The first events - the Riviera Women's and ITA Men's All-American Championships - were held last month, and the third event is season-ending NCAA Championships in May.
The Omni Hotels National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships feature a 32-player singles field and 16-team doubles field for men and women, including: qualifiers from Omni Hotels Regional Championships held across the country during last. Overall, more than 10,000 players from nearly 600 schools participate annually in the Omni Hotels Regional and National Intercollegiate Championships.
Baylor Sunday Results
Men's Singles - Finals:
Harsh Mankad (Minnesota) def. Benni Becker (BU) 6-7 (5), 6-0, 7-6 (2)
