Alabama
Purdue University
Alabama Men’s Tennis Tops Purdue, 4-3, in ITA Kick-Off Weekend Event
1/28/2017 8:55:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Crimson Tide back in action on Friday, Feb. 3, when it hosts Texas Tech at 6 p.m. CT
ATHENS, Ga. – The Alabama men's tennis team defeated the Purdue Boilermakers in a 4-3 thriller in the consolation match of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend tournament at the Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Courts on the campus of Georgia. The Crimson Tide improves to an overall 3-2 record, while the Boilermakers fall to 3-1.
"An amazing finish tonight," said head coach George Husack. "Great for out team to experience a tug of war match and create a memory as well. Moments like these are invaluable and we will both learn and build from it."
Alabama's 32nd-ranked doubles pair in sophomores Mazen Osama and Spencer Richey tallied the Tide's first doubles win from court one, as the duo topped Ricky Medinilla and Dominik Sochure in a 6-3 decision.
The Boilermakers responded with a win on court three, as freshmen Thibault Cancel and Edson Ortiz lost a 6-4 contest to Benjamin Ugarte and Stephan Koenigsfest. With the doubles point on the line, senior Ritchie Kruunenberg and freshman Alexey Nesterov defeated Gergely Madarasz and Athell Bennet, 7-5, from the No. 2 position to give Alabama a 1-0 match lead going into singles play.
Purdue won back-to-back matches in straight sets on courts three and four to begin singles play to take a 2-1 match lead. Nesterov (No. 4) lost a 6-1, 6-2 decision against Koenigsfest, before the Boilermakers' 70th-ranked singles player Ugarte overcame Richey (No. 3), 6-4, 6-2.
Alabama responded, however, as the Tide picked up consecutive wins in straight sets on courts one and two to take a 3-2 match lead. The Tide's 63rd-ranked singles player Osama (No. 1) defeated Purdue's 49th-ranked singles player Madarasz, 7-5, 6-3, before Alabama's 78th-ranked singles player Cancel (No. 2) notched Medinilla, 6-1, 7-5.
Purdue equalized the match score at 3-3, as Sochurek defeated sophomore Langford Hills (No. 6) in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6. With the match point on the line, Ortiz (No. 5) outlasted Bennett in a match that was decided in three frames, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, to clinch the Alabama victory.
The Tide will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 3, when it hosts the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility at 6 p.m. CT.
Alabama 4, Purdue 3
SINGLES:
1. No. 63 Mazen Osama (Alabama) def. No. 49 Gergely Madarasz (Purdue) 7-5, 6-3
2. Ricky Medinilla (Purdue) def. No. 78 Thibault Cancel (Alabama) 6-1, 7-5
3. No. 70 Benjamin Ugarte (Purdue) def. Spencer Richey (Alabama) 6-4, 6-2
4. Stephan Keonigsfest (Purdue) def. Alexey Nesterov (Alabama) 6-1, 6-2
5. Edson Ortiz (Alabama) def. Athell Bennett (Purdue) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
6. Dominik Sochurek (Purdue) def. Langford Hills (Alabama) 6-3, 7-6
Order of finish: 4, 3, 1, 2, 6, 5
DOUBLES:
1. No. 32 Mazen Osama/Spencer Richey (Alabama) def. Ricky Medinilla/Dominik Sochurek (Purdue) 6-3
2. Ritchie Kruunenberg/Alexey Nesterov (Alabama) def. Gergely Madarasz/Athell Bennett (Purdue) 7-5
3. Benjamin Ugarte/Stehpan Koenigsfest (Purdue) def. Thibault Cancel/Edson Ortiz (Alabama) 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Get all the latest information on the team by following AlabamaMTN on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
