Bama Men?s Tennis Tops Princeton
2/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
PRINCETON, N.J.- The No. 27 Alabama men's tennis team defeated No. 74 Princeton, 5-2, at the Jadwin Gymnasium tennis courts today, giving the Tide their first road win of the 2007 season.
"The doubles point was crucial today," said head coach Billy Pate. "It could have gone either way. We had to rally back from a huge deficit at No. 3 to win the point. The point was critical because we gained momentum from the doubles win going into singles. I think we could have finished better but it was good to get out of here with a win."
Alabama jumped out to a 1-0 lead after doubles but the point did not come easy. Each match came down to a tie-breaker, with the Tide winning two out of the three contests.
Sophomores Dan Buikema and Mathieu Thibaudeau was the only pair that did not trail during the match. The Alabama duo finished off Alex Krueger-Wyman and Sratha Saengsuwarn of Princeton, 9-8 (8), to earn the first victory at No. 1.
At the No. 3 position, juniors Billy Mertz and Javier Bes overcame a 6-0 deficit to beat Princeton's Mark Gober and Ted Mabrey 9-8 (3), clinching the doubles point for the Tide. Joseph Jung and Saketh Myneni lost to Peter Capkovic and Alex Vuckovic of Princeton, 8-7 (1) at the No. 2 slot.
The Tide won the first three singles matches, giving them a 4-0 lead to secure the match.
Thibaudeau earned the first singles victory, defeating Charlie Brosens in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, at the No. 5 position. Buikema finished shortly after, cruising by Mabrey, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 6, while Mertz picked up the third Tide victory at the No. 3 position, defeating Krueger-Wyman, 6-2, 6-3, clinching the match for the Tide.
Alabama's Bes defeated George Carpeni, 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (8), to earn the final victory of the match.
Jung lost to Capkovic, 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (8), at the No. 1 slot, while junior Sammy Struyf lost to Saengsuwarn, 7-6, 4-6, 1-0 (7), at No. 2.
With the win, Alabama improves to 6-1 on the season and travels to New York, N.Y. to take on the Columbia Lions Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center at 2 pm ET.
-UA-
Results
Doubles:
1. No. 35 Dan Buikema/Mathieu Thibaudeau (UA) def. Alex Krueger-Wyman/Sratha Saengsuwarn (Prin.) 9-8 (8)
2. Peter Capkovic/Alex Vuckovic (Prin.) def. Joseph Jung/Saketh Myneni (UA) 8-7 (1)
3. Billy Mertz/Javier Bes (UA) def. Ted Mabrey/Mark Gober (Prin.) 9-8 (3)
Order of finish: 1,2,3
Singles:
1. Peter Capkovic (Prin.) def. No. 56 Joseph Jung (UA) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (8)
2. Sratha Saengsuwarn (Prin.) def. Sammy Struyf (UA) 7-6, 4-6, 1-0 (7)
3. Billy Mertz (UA) def. Alex Krueger-Wyman (Prin.) 6-2, 6-3
4. Javier Bes (UA) def. George Carpeni (Prin.) 7-5, 4-6, 10-8
5. Mat Thibaudeau (UA) def. Charlie Brosens (Prin.) 6-2, 6-0
6. Dan Buikema (UA) def. Ted Mabrey (Prin.) 6-4, 6-2
Order of finish: 5,6,3,4,1,2
