Alabama
Pepperdine
Men's Tennis Falls to Pepperdine, 4-0
2/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 25, 2011
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The 32nd-ranked men's tennis team dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 21 Pepperdine on Friday in the opening round of the 2011 Blue Gray National Tennis Classic at Lagoon Park. The loss put the Crimson Tide at 5-2 on the season, while the Waves improve to 7-2 overall.
"I was very pleased with our effort and the way we competed today," Alabama head coach Billy Pate said. "Pepperdine outplayed us a little bit in a couple of spots, but the level today was exceptionally high on both sides. We had some chances to turn the momentum, but we came up a little short."
In doubles, Pepperdine earned wins on court three and court two to claim the early point. The Waves No. 3 tandem of junior Jenson Turner and sophomore Sebastian Fanselow, ranked 61st in the nation, collected an 8-1 win over junior Michael Thompson and sophomore Ian Chadwell for Pepperdine's first win. Senior Alejandro Moreno and junior Alex Llompart secured the doubles point for the Waves with an 8-5 victory at No. 2 over sophomore Jarryd Botha and freshman Daniil Proskura.
In singles, 50th-ranked Llompart was first to finish posting a 6-2, 6-2 win over Tide junior Vikram Reddy on court three. Next up, Pepperdine sophomore Finn Tearney, No. 47 in the nation, edged Botha 6-4, 6-3 on court two. The match was clinched for the Waves at No. 1 where 20th-ranked Fanselow was tested in the second by Alabama junior Ricky Doverspike, but ended up pulling out a 6-1, 7-6 victory for the team win.
The three remaining matches were all in third sets when play was called.
"We're looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow and improving, but I am happy where we are," Pate added. "We just need to execute and be a bit more mentally tough."
Next up, the Tide will take on No. 69 Penn State on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. CT. For more information on the tournament, including live scoring, visit BlueGrayTennis.com.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 55 Clarke/Tearney (PU) vs. Doverspike/Reddy (UA) 5-2, unf.
2. Llompart/Moreno (PU) def. Botha/Proskura (UA) 8-5
3. No. 61 Turner/Fanselow (PU) def. Thompson/Chadwell (UA) 8-1
Order of Finish: 3,2
Singles
1. No. 20 Sebastian Fanselow (PU) def. Ricky Doverspike (UA) 6-1, 7-6
2. No. 47 Finn Tearney (PU) def. Jarryd Botha (UA) 6-4, 6-3
3. No. 50 Alex Llompart (PU) def. Vikram Reddy (UA) 6-2, 6-2
4. Daniil Proskura (UA) vs. Alejandro Moreno (PU) 6-2, 1-6, 1-3, unf.
5. Michael Thompson (UA) vs. Mousheg Hovhannisyan (PU) 1-6, 6-3, 1-5, unf.
6. Carlos Taborga (UA) vs. David Sofaer (PU) 7-6, 2-6, 4-2, unf.
Order of Finish: 3,2,1*
Players Mentioned
