Carleton and Team USA fall in Master’U finals

Senior Reid Carleton helped Team USA advance to the championship match of the Master’U BNP Paribas tournament Sunday, yet the Americans ultimately could not overcome the host nation, falling to Team France 6-1.

The annual international collegiate competition—featuring squads from China, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland and Switzerland in addition to the U.S. and France—was held in Rouen, France Dec. 8-12.

Team USA defeated the French squad in last year’s championship, but Sunday’s victory gave France its third Master’U title in the past five years. Despite the unfavorable result in the finals, Carleton acquitted himself well throughout the tournament in both singles and doubles play.

He played at the No.1 singles spot Friday against Ireland and notched a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory over Roman Grogan, the 2009 Irish junior male player of the year. The senior also competed in doubles play with Texas A&M’s Austin Krajicek, and the pair easily dispatched of their Irish counterparts 4-0, 4-0. The two victories helped Team USA score a 7-0 sweep on the day.

Carleton could not continue his momentum in his singles match the following day, losing to Germany’s Sabastian Schulz 6-1, 6-0. But he rebounded in doubles play with Krajicek with the team score knotted up at 2-2. The duo was routed in the first set 6-1 only to battle back and take the second set 7-6 (5). In the third set super tiebreaker, Carleton and Krajicek managed to nudge past Schulz and Tobias Hinzmann 10-8, a victory that set the stage for Team USA’s 4-2 overall win.

Even though the Americans suffered a decisive loss at the hands of the French, Carleton’s international experience will no doubt serve him well as he rejoins the Blue Devils for their next match on Jan. 8.