Alabama
University of Oklahoma
Alabama Men’s Tennis Falls to Oklahoma in Tight Match on Sunday Afternoon
2/12/2017 5:15:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Crimson Tide back in action on Feb. 24 when it is set to compete in Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic
NORMAN, Okla. – The Alabama men's tennis team lost a 5-2 decision to 14th-ranked Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon at the Headington Family Tennis Center. The Crimson Tide falls to an overall 5-4 record, while the Sooners improve to 7-1.
"Great effort from the guys, and belief gained with the match today," said head coach George Husack. "We put ourselves in a position to win and that's the key. We were also better physically, mentally and emotionally than on Friday."
The Sooners' 42nd-ranked doubles pair Andrew Harris and Spencer Papa claimed the first doubles win of the contest in a 6-3 decision on court one over sophomores Mazen Osama and Spencer Richey. Alabama's freshmen Alexey Nesterov and Zhe Zhou fell short to Alex Ghilea and Florin Bragusi in a 6-3 decision on court two, as Oklahoma took a 1-0 match lead headed into singles play.
"I am happy for Mazen," said Husack. "He's always going to face the best players and that's a tall order. We've talked about pushing himself more and more as well as believing. Well, today he did and he got the job done."
In singles play, Oklahoma's 105th-ranked singles player Bragusi defeated Richey (No. 3) in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, to earn a 2-0 match advantage. Jochen Bertsch notched senior Ritchie Kruunenberg (No. 5) in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, before Amaud Restifo outlasted sophomore Langford Hills (No. 6), 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, to clinch the Sooners' match victory.
Freshman Edson Ortiz (No. 4) registered the Tide's first singles win of the contest, as he defeated Adrian Oetzbach in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3, trimming Oklahoma's match lead to 4-1. The Sooners extended the match lead to 5-1, as Ghilea notched the Tide's 82nd-ranked singles player Thibault Cancel (No. 2) in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4. Alabama's 92nd-ranked singles player Osama (No. 1) went on to top Oklahoma's 27th-ranked Harris in a three-set thriller, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, resulting in the final match score.
"Edson also responded very well after being so close on Friday," said Husack. "He's a bull in a china shop that's getting better and better each day.
"We now have a short break as we switch to the outdoor season. We will ramp up the focus and intensity in our training and look to seeing more positive results at the Blue Gray."
The Tide will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 24, when it travels to Montgomery, Ala., to compete in the annual Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic two-day event.
Alabama 2, No. 14 Oklahoma 5
SINGLES RESULTS:
1. No. 92 Mazen Osama (Alabama) def. Andrew Harris (OU) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
2. Alex Ghilea (OU) def. No. 82 Thibault Cancel (Alabama) 7-6, 6-4
3. No. 105 Florin Bragusi def. Spencer Richey (Alabama) 6-2, 6-0
4. Edson Ortiz (Alabama) def. Adrian Oetzbach (OU) 7-6, 6-3
5. Jochen Bertsch (OU) def. Ritchie Kruunenberg (Alabama) 6-1, 7-5
6. Amaud Restifo (OU) def. Langford Hills (Alabama) 3-6, 6-1, 6-0
DOUBLES RESULTS:
1. No. 42 Andrew Harris/Spencer Papa (OU) def. Mazen Osama/Spencer Richey (Alabama) 6-3
2. Alex Ghilea/Florin Bragusi (OU) def. Zhe Zhou/Alexey Nesterov (Alabama) 6-3
3. Thibault Cancel/Edson Ortiz (Alabama) vs. Adrian Oetzbach/Adrian Chamdani (OU) 4-5, DNF
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,5,6,4,2,1)
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