Katzman Falls in Three Sets, Finishes as Runner-Up at ITA Grass Court Invitational

NEWPORT, R.I. - Sophomore Jack Katzman took the first set of the singles final of the ITA Grass Court Invitational at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, but Bowdoin's Grant Urken came back to take a 10-5 win in the third-set tiebreaker to capture the title on Sunday afternoon.

The two players also met a year ago in the singles finals of the NCAA Division III Championships, with Urken prevailing in straight sets. The rematch on grass proved to be tighter, as Katzman jumped out to a quick lead in the first set and went on to a 6-3 win. However, Urken regrouped in the second for a 6-1 win to force it to a third-set tiebreaker (a single game to 10 points) and used his big serve to win 10-5. 

Casey Morris picked up a win in the consolation draw of the Arthur Ashe flight on Sunday, defeating Cameron Krimball of Trinity (Texas) 13-11 in the third set tiebreaker. Morris dropped the first set 6-4, but bounced back to take the second 7-5, and then prevailed in a tiebreaker that went three points beyond regulation. Morris had fallen on Saturday in a third-set tiebreaker 10-7 to Konrad Kozlowski of WashU, but was able to bounce back to win his third set on Sunday. 

In fact, Saturday was a day full of tiebreakers for the Stags, as Katzman advanced to the finals by winning his semi over Jerry Jiang of Bowdoin, 3-6, 6-2, 10-5. Julian Gordy nearly made it an all-CMS final against Urken in the semis of the Michael Stich flight after winning the first set 6-3, but Urken came back to win 6-4, 10-5, just as he did against Katzman in the final. Jake Williams also fell 10-7 in the third-set tiebreaker to Kozlowski in the Arthur Ashe flight after winning a first set tiebreaker 7-6. 

On the doubles side, Gordy and Katzman won their third-place match on Saturday in a tiebreaker as well (7-4) over WashU, while Williams and Alfred Simental took their third-place match as well 8-3, in the only CMS match of the entire day out of six (four singles, two doubles) that didn't go to a tiebreaker. 

CMS will be back in action in two weeks for the ITA West Regionals on Sept. 28-30, which will be hosted by Pomona-Pitzer, but will be held at both Pomona-Pitzer and CMS' Biszantz Family Tennis Center.