Flames Tennis picks up historic doubles victory at NCAA Championships

Joaquim Almeida and Siwanat Auytayakul made Flames tennis program history on Thursday, picking up Liberty University’s first-ever triumph at the NCAA Tennis Individual Championships before falling in the second round. The Flames pair bested California’s No. 25 duo of Carl Emil Overbeck and Theo Dean before being ousted by Florida State’s No. 41 team of Alex Bulte and Youcef Rihane.

The Flames pair came out hot in the round of 32 on Wednesday, jumping out to a 6-4 first set over the No. 25 pair from Cal. The Bears duo responded with a swift 6-3 second set to force a tiebreak third set. Liberty jumped out to an early lead and came out on top with a slim 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8) triumph.

The first round victory marked the first-ever triumph in the NCAA Men’s Tennis Individual Championships in program history. The pair of Almeida and Auytayakul were the first doubles duo to qualify for the event. Former Flames Sam Matheson (2016) and Nicaise Muamba (2019) each qualified for the singles championship but were unable to earn a victory.

The Liberty pair matched up against Florida State’s No. 41 pair in the second round. The Flames pair initially fell to a 2-0 deficit and fought back to a 3-3 tie in the first set before dropping the opening set 6-3. Liberty roared to a 4-0 lead in the second set but the Seminoles pair responded by tying the set at 5-5. The Florida State duo kept it’s foot on the gas to seal the 6-3, 7-5 triumph.

Almeida, a senior, and Auytayakul, a freshman, earned an 8-3 record playing together this fall. The pair went 5-0 at the ITA Atlantic Regional, including a semifinal triumph over Old Dominion’s No. 8 pair of Codie and Connor Van Schalkwyk, leading to an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

The Flames fall season officially comes to an end with a 1-1 record at the NCAA Championships. Liberty prepares to open the spring season with a home doubleheader on Jan. 18 against Richmond and Radford.