Alabama
Michigan
No. 22 Alabama Sweeps Doubleheader Against No. 23 Michigan and Chattanooga to Begin Dual Match Season
1/19/2019 5:37:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Crimson Tide bested the 23rd-ranked Wolverines, 4-3 and the Mocs, 7-0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 22-ranked Alabama men's tennis team swept its season-opening doubleheader against No. 23 Michigan, 4-3 and Chattanooga, 7-0, on Saturday inside the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Indoor Facility.
"I'd say we went a full 15-rounds today," said head coach George Husack. "They fought the entire way and really trusted themselves. The focus was impeccable, their resolve was unbelievable. This was a fantastic day and I am super proud of them."
The Crimson Tide (2-0) began by dropping its match on Court No. 2 to begin doubles play against the 23rd-ranked Wolverines (0-1). The Tide bounced back by winning two tiebreakers on Courts No. 1 and No. 3 with senior Mazen Osama and sophomore Patrick Kaukovalta pulling through, 7-6(4), while juniors Edson Ortiz and Zhe Zhou won 7-6(3) to clinch the doubles point.
In singles competition, the Tide jumped out to a 3-0 advantage after Ortiz dominated Myles Schalet, 6-2, 6-2, and No. 24 Osama eased past Mattias Siimar, 6-4, 6-2.
Michigan cut the deficit to 3-2 after picking up wins on Court No. 4 and No. 5. However, reminiscent of the 2018 Tallahassee Regional Final, Zhou clinched the match for the Crimson Tide. The Tianjin, China, native was down 6-1 in the second-set tiebreaker, before reeling off five-straight points to push the breaker to 6-6. The junior closed out his match by winning 9-7 and clinching the Alabama win at 4-2.
The two teams played out the final match on Court 2 as Andrew Fenty defeated Kaukovalta, to make the final score, 4-3.
In the second match of the day, the Tide continued its momentum and powered through a 7-0 victory over Chattanooga (0-2).
On Court No. 2, Ortiz and Kaukovalta took the lead with ease and sophomores Sam Fischer and Riccardo Roberto sealed the doubles win with a thrilling battle, 7-6(3).
Osama, Ortiz, Zhou, and Nesterov went 2-0 for the day, while Roberto showcased a 6-0, 6-3 victory against the Mocs. Sophomore Jeremy Gschwendtner collected his first win in his collegiate debut, 6-1, 7-5.
Next up for Alabama is another doubleheader on Monday, Jan. 21 against Charlotte and North Alabama. Those matches will begin at 1 p.m. CT & 5 p.m. CT with both matchups being streamed live on RollTide.com.
Alabama Results
(vs. No. 23 Michigan)
Doubles
- Osama/Kaukovalta def. Johnston/Schalet, 7-6(3)
- M. Siimar/Brown def. Cancel/Nesterov, 6-3
- Zhou/Ortiz def. Fenty/Tishman, 7-6(4)
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
- No. 24 Mazen Osama def. Mattias Siimar, 6-4, 6-2
- Andrew Fenty def. No. 41 Patrick Kaukovalta, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
- Edson Ortiz def. Myles Schalet, 6-2, 6-2
- Connor Johnston def. Thibault Cancel, 6-3, 6-4
- Patrick Maloney def. Alexey Nesterov, 7-6(4), 6-4
- Zhe Zhou def. Gabe Tishman, 7-6(3), 7-6(7)
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
(vs. Chattanooga)
Doubles
- Ortiz/Kaukovalta def. Hyatt/Rodriguez, 6-2
- Cancel/Nesterov vs. Gerdes/Bustamante, 6-6, unf.
- Fischer/Roberto def. Plaisted/Llebeli, 7-6(3)
Order of Finish: 1, 3
Singles
- No. 24 Mazen Osama def. Niklas Gerdes, 6-3, 6-1
- Edson Ortiz def. Tomas Rodriguez, 6-3, 6-2
- Alexey Nesterov def. Kerim Hyatt, 6-4, 7-6(5)
- Zhe Zhou def. Luke Plaisted, 6-1, 7-5
- Jeremy Gschwendtner def. Pablo Llebeili, 6-1, 7-5
- Riccardo Roberto def. Kaisei Kuroki, 6-0, 6-3
Order of Finish: 6, 1, 4, 5, 2, 3
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Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,4,5,6,2
Players Mentioned
