Toledo a rising tennis star for the Gophers

At this time of the year, some sport at the U of M seems to be ending nearly every day.

The baseball team played its last game on Thursday.

The last men's tennis player lost in the NCAA tournament in Athens, Ga., on Friday.

The softball team plays Saturday night against the No. 1 seed in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday night and could be done Sunday.

You get the point. It's sad in a way: careers ending, a last loss, teammates going separate ways for the summer.

But it can be a time of hope, too.

Let's zero in one particular player: Leandro Toledo. A different sounding name -- as mine is.

Toledo was a first-team All-Big Ten pick after going 8-3 against conference foes. He was ranked No. 38 nationally.

His first opponent at nationals was Alex Domijan of Virginia, ranked No. 6. He was 25-1 and on a 15-match winning streak.

Toledo was the definite underdog, but he won 6-7 (4), 7-6 (12), 6-4. Next, he beat No. 38 Diego Galeano of Baylor, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4.

He became the first All-America player at the U since 2002, 14 years ago.

No. 28 Alex Sarkissian of Pepperdine ended Toledo's tournament run 7-6 (1), 6-2.