Louisville MTEN Freshman Andre Steinbach Clinches Victory Over Notre Dame in ACC Championship

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In a thrilling match that saw both teams tied at 3-3, University of Louisville freshman Andre Steinbach rose to the occasion with a straight set win, securing a 4-3 victory over Notre Dame in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. The intense match took place on Thursday night at the Cary Tennis Center.

Notre Dame (13-14) began on a high note, taking the doubles point with the No. 1 Irish pair of Jean-Marc Malkowski and Connor Fu defeating Etienne Donnet and Alex Wesbrooks 6-2. The point was clinched when the Louisville duo of Fabien Salle and David Mizrahi fell 6-2 to Sebastian Dominko and Matthew Halpin on court two.

University of Louisville head coach Rodrigo da Silva commended his team’s resilience, stating, “Notre Dame had a great start and had a lot of momentum going into singles. We put our heads down and went to work, and we were able to shift the momentum. I am very proud of the entire team, but I do have to mention our freshman Andre Steinbach, who was able to clinch his second 3-3 match of the year.”

As singles play commenced, Cardinal David Mizrahi swiftly defeated Jameson Corsillo 6-3, 6-1 at No. 6, tying the score at one. No. 14-ranked Sebastian Dominko bested UofL’s Natan Rodrigues 6-4, 6-2 on court one. Louisville’s No. 34-ranked senior Etienne Donnet leveled the match at two with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Matthew Che.

The Irish reclaimed the lead when Connor Fu triumphed over Sergio Hernandez 6-3, 6-4 at the No. 4 spot. However, UofL’s No. 61-ranked Fabien Salle fought back, outlasting Jean-Marc Malkowski 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) at No. 3, tying the score once again at three.

Ultimately, it was Andre Steinbach who delivered the win for the Cardinals (16-10), defeating Yu Zhang 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 5 position. With this victory, the Cardinals advance to play Duke at 6 p.m. Friday.

Tennis Match Results

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Louisville Men’s Tennis

4/20/2023 at Cary, N.C.

(Cary Tennis Park)

Louisville Men’s Tennis 4, Notre Dame Fighting Irish 3

Singles competition

1. #14 Sebastian Dominko (ND-M) def. Natan Rodrigues (LOU-MT) 6-4, 6-2

2. #34 Etienne Donnet (LOU-MT) def. Matthew Che (ND-M) 6-2, 6-2

3. #61 Fabien Salle (LOU-MT) def. Jean-Marc Malkowski (ND-M) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)

4. Connor Fu (ND-M) def. Sergio Hernandez (LOU-MT) 6-3, 6-4

5. Andre Steinbach (LOU-MT) def. Yu Zhang (ND-M) 6-4, 6-2

6. David Mizrahi (LOU-MT) def. Jameson Corsillo (ND-M) 6-3, 6-1

Doubles competition

1. Jean-Marc Malkowski/Connor Fu (ND-M) def. Etienne Donnet/Alex Wesbrooks (LOU-MT) 6-2

2. Sebastian Dominko/Matthew Halpin (ND-M) def. Fabien Salle/David Mizrahi (LOU-MT) 6-2

3. Sergio Hernandez/Natan Rodrigues (LOU-MT) vs. Evan Lee/Yu Zhang (ND-M) 4-4, unfinished

Match Notes:

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (6,1,2,4,3,5)

2023 ACC Men’s Tennis Championship: Match 5