Alabama
Arkansas
Men's Tennis Beats Arkansas, 6-1
3/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 11, 2012
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The men's tennis team earned a 6-1 win over Arkansas on Sunday at the Alabama Tennis Stadium for its first Southeastern Conference victory of the season. With the win, the Crimson Tide improves to 6-7 overall and 1-3 against league opponents, while the Razorbacks dip to 9-5 on the season and 1-3 versus SEC foes.
"This was a good win for us and one we needed," said Alabama head coach Billy Pate. "Arkansas has had a good year so far, and they showed a lot of fight today. I felt we did a good job of controlling momentum early with doubles and then into singles."
Alabama took a 1-0 lead after securing the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. The Tide's duo of senior Michael Thompson and freshman David Vieyra posted an 8-6 victory against senior Nikolas Zogaj and junior Gregoire Lehmann after taking an early break at No. 3. Shortly after, senior Vikram Reddy and sophomore Carlos Taborga put Alabama ahead in the match with an 8-4 win on court two over sophomores Manfred Jeske and Michael Nott.
In singles, junior Jarryd Botha posted a 6-1, 6-4 victory on court two over senior Matt Walters to give the Tide a 2-0 advantage in the match. Doverspike would then award Alabama its third point of the afternoon with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Lehmann on court one. The Razorbacks earned their lone point of the match with a win on court three as Zogaj was able to claim a 7-6(4), 6-1 victory over Tide sophomore Daniil Proskura. Moments later, Thompson would clinch the win for Alabama with a 6-0, 0-6, 6-1 defeat of Nott on court six.
Vieyra would pick up his second SEC singles victory of the season with a win on court five as he outlasted junior Mike Ward, 7-6(4), 6-3. The final match on court would go in favor of the Tide as Reddy battled out three tough sets to win 6-4, 6-7(3), 10-2 over Jeske.
"Arkansas made a good push and it there was a point where the momentum could've swung back in their favor," added Pate. "We were in two first set tiebreakers at 3 and 5, and I'm glad we were able to win one of those. At No. 6, Thompson showed experience and toughness down the stretch after his opponent picked up his level and played a very good second set. The guys will get two days off for spring break, then we'll reconvene for practice on Wednesday and head to Miami on Thursday morning to take on the Hurricanes."
Next up, Alabama will travel to Miami to take on the Hurricanes on Saturday, March 17. The match is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. CT.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Botha/Doverspike (UA) vs. Fess/Walters (ARK) 6-6, unf.
2. Reddy/Taborga (UA) def. Nott/Jeske (ARK) 8-4
3. Vieyra/Thompson (UA) def. Zogaj/Lehmann (ARK) 8-6
Order of Finish: 3,2
Singles
1. Ricky Doverspike (UA) def. Gregoire Lehmann (ARK) 6-4, 6-2
2. Jarryd Botha (UA) def. Matt Walters (ARK) 6-1, 6-4
3. Nikolas Zogaj (ARK) def. No. 115 Daniil Proskura (UA) 7-6(4), 6-1
4. Vikram Reddy (UA) def. Manfred Jeske (ARK) 6-4, 6-7(3), 10-2
5. David Vieyra (UA) def. Mike Ward (ARK) 7-6(4), 6-3
6. Michael Thompson (UA) def. Michael Nott (ARK) 6-0, 0-6, 6-1
Order of Finish: 2,1,3,6*,5,4
Players Mentioned
