TULSA, Okla. – Samir Iftikhar’s impressive run at the 2014 Saint Francis Health Systems ITA Men’s All-American Championships came to an end on Saturday morning as he dropped a tight 6-1, 7-6 (1) match to Louisville’s Sebastian Stiefelmeyer in the round of 16.
“Today mentally we had a slow start,” head coach Bart Scott said. “Against a high quality player like that, you cannot afford to spot him a few quick games or a set. To Sam’s credit, he fought all the way to the end and when he was there mentally he was right there with his opponent. He had a great tournament and should be proud of his effort. He represented UNM well!”
Stiefelmeyer, No. 110 in ITA preseason rankings, claimed the first set over Iftikhar (No. 101) to start the Main Draw match. Iftikhar gained positive momentum in the second set and battled to take a 5-4 lead over his opponent, but Stiefelmeyer hung around and put the score at 6-6. Iftikhar and Stiefelmeyer duked it out in a tiebreaker where Stiefelmeyer eventually claimed the match.
Iftikhar made major strides in the University of New Mexico men’s tennis program and picked up some high quality wins this week. Iftikhar’s 6-3, 6-4 first round win over Amerigo Cantini of Virginia Tech and upset victory over No. 37 Alen Salibasic of Drake, allowed him to become the first Lobo competitor to make it to the round of 16 in singles action at the ITA All-American Championships.
Iftikhar was the only Lobo competing in the Main Draw.
Full Results:
Stiefelmeyer (UL) def. Iftikhar (UNM), 6-1, 7-6