Alabama
#20 Arizona State
No. 33 Alabama Men’s Tennis Suffers First Loss of the Season in Blue Gray National Tennis Classic Championship to No. 20 Arizona State, 4-3
2/24/2018 9:54:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Crimson Tide is now 14-1 on the year
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama men's tennis team fell to No. 20 Arizona State, 4-3, in the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic Championship on Saturday night at Lagoon Park in Montgomery, Ala. The Crimson Tide (14-1) suffered its first loss of the season after dropping the match to the Sun Devils (8-3).
"What a great tournament," said head coach George Husack. "Physically, mentally and emotionally challenging from start to finish. Our guys played with their hearts and #ThatsBama. We are ready for the road ahead. More opportunities and excitement start next weekend when SEC play begins. We are all looking forward to it."
UA had a chance to win the match after tying it up at 3-3, with junior Mazen Osama in a tough battle against No. 65 Michael Geerts. Osama took the first set 6-2, before Geerts answered with a 7-6 (7-5) result to even the match. Osama fell behind in the third and deciding set, 4-2, and responded by tying the match at 4-4. Geerts responded by clinching the championship with two straight games to take the final set, 6-4.
The Tide stayed perfect in clinching its 15th double point of the season, after the freshmen duo of Riccardo Roberto and Patrick Kaukovalta defeated Rokotomalala/Bolla, 6-3, while the No. 34-ranked pair of junior Mazen Osama and sophomore Edson Ortiz pushed past Geerts/Wright, 7-6.
In singles play, Arizona State jumped out to a 3-1, marking the first time this season that Alabama had trailed in a match. Sophomore Alexey Nesterov earned the first singles win of the match for the Tide after he bested William Kirkman, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to trim the deficit to 3-2. Kaukovalta continued to impress for Alabama, as he tied up the match at 3-3 following his victory over Makey Rokotomalala, 6-2, 6-7 (7-9), 4-2, ret., before Osama fell in the deciding match.
The Crimson Tide will return to action on Friday, Mar. 2 in its first Southeastern Conference match against No. 35 Vanderbilt. Alabama will play outdoors in the Alabama Tennis Stadium, with the match beginning at 6 p.m. CT.
Alabama Results:
Singles vs. Arizona State:
- No. 65 Michael Geerts def. No. 113 Mazen Osama, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
- No. 56 Ben Hannestad def. Thibault Cancel, 6-1, 6-2
- Patrick Kaukovalta def. Makey Rakotomalala, 6-2, 6-7 (7-9), 4-2, ret.
- Tim Ruehl def. Edson Ortiz, 6-2, 6-1
- Andrea Bolla def. Riccardo Roberto, 6-2, 6-4
- Alexey Nesterov def. William Kirkman, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 1
Doubles vs. Arizona State:
- No. 34 Ortiz/Osama def. Geerts/Wright, 7-6
- No. 40 Cancel/Nesterov vs. Hannestad/Ruehl, 6-6
- Roberto/Kaukovalta def. Rokotomalala/Bolla, 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 1
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.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
2,4,5,6,3,1
Players Mentioned
