COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Cougars headed to Colorado for the ITA Bedford Cup at the Air Force Academy on Sept. 27-28 where eight players competed including, Redd Owen, Adam Chodur, David Duong, Alex Edmonston, Tygen Goldammer, Hardy Owen, TJ Wells, and Otto Schreiner. The eight Cougars competed in both doubles and singles play through the two days of play. They totaled 23 wins 16 in singles as well as 7 in doubles.
“The Air Force Academy is one of the hardest places to play because of the high elevation,” said assistant coach Jonathan Sanchez. “I was very happy with our team’s ability to make the necessary adjustments and their patience to play some very strong tennis.”
The singles draw was split up into four separate categories including, Raptor, Eagle, Lightning and Falcon draws. The Cougars had two singles players featured in each draw. Duong and Goldammer in the Raptor, Wells and Hardy Owen in the Eagle, Chodur and Redd Owen in the Lightning and Edmonston and Schreiner in the Falcon. Each of the Cougars advanced to the second round by win or through a bye. The doubles draw was just one and all eight of the cougars were in the same draw.
In the Raptor, Duong and Goldammer both found success with straight-set wins in the first round. Duong sustained an injury in doubles play and was unable to continue. Goldammer however was unbeaten in the Raptor draw. He racked up three straight set wins but was unable to play in the finals due to it being scheduled on a Sunday.
In the Eagle, Wells and Hardy Owen both advanced out of the first round. Wells had a bye and Hardy Owen won in straight sets to start the play. Wells went on a winning streak and was unbeaten in the draw. He advanced with victories in every round dropping just one set in three matches. He too would have to withdraw from the finals due to it being scheduled on a Sunday. Hardy Owen on the other half of the draw also picked up two wins advancing to the Quarterfinals. He dropped the match in the quarterfinals to the eventual finalist after a 6-1 first set and a close 6-4 second.
"Tygen Goldammer and TJ Wells were the standouts in this tournament and their singles play reflected that," added Sanchez. "Both competed at an exceptionally high level and made the finals in their respective draws."
In the Lightning, Chodur and Redd Owen both picked up first-round wins in straight sets. In the next round, Chodur found himself down early after dropping the first set 6-3. He was able to change the momentum and win the second set 6-4. After a grueling third set that was forced to the 10-point super tiebreak, he was eliminated losing in the tiebreak 12-10. Redd Owen after winning in the first round ran into a tough Boise State competitor. He could not find a way to get a set and was eliminated from play 6-2 6-2. Chodur and Redd Owen were placed in the consolation bracket and each picked up a win Chodur won in straight sets 6-0 6-1 and Redd Owen went to three sets winning 6-4 2-6 and 10-6 in the super tiebreak. They would have played each other in the final but had to withdraw due to it being on a Sunday.
In the Falcon, Edmonston and Schreiner both had tough first matches. Edmonston dropped the first set in a close one that ended with a tiebreak 7-3. He rallied back and won the next two sets 6-3 and 6-4. As he advanced the next opponent was too much and he was eliminated in the second round. Schreiner also dropped a tight first set 7-5. He then bounced back with two sets straight winning them 6-2 and 6-3. After a tough first match, he again went to three sets in his next round. After dropping the first 6-4 he won the second 6-2 and in a tight third set was eliminated 7-5. He was put into the consolation bracket from here and won his match in three sets 7-5 4-6 and 10-6 in the super tiebreak. He had to withdraw due to Sunday play.