Alabama Men’s Tennis Upsets No. 15 Mississippi State on Senior Day, 5-2

Friday, April 2

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

6 p.m. CT

Alabama

Mississippi State

Alabama Men’s Tennis Upsets No. 15 Mississippi State on Senior Day, 5-2

4/2/2021 10:57:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score Photo Gallery

The Crimson Tide got the win on Senior Day with graduate student Edson Ortiz clinching the match at No. 1 singles

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In the lead up to its match against No. 15 Mississippi State at the Alabama Tennis Stadium, Crimson Tide men's tennis head coach George Husack told a story about fifth-year senior Edson Ortiz's freshman season, when the rookie came up clutch in a pair of "three-set thrillers" very early in his first season to secure Alabama wins.

Friday, on Senior Day, he did it again.

No. 74-ranked Ortiz dropped the first set to No. 51 Giovanni Orandini, 6-1 at No. 1 singles before clawing his way back into the match with a 7-5 second-set win. The third set teetered back and forth and was tied at 4-4 before Ortiz closed out the match, and the Bulldogs, 6-4. It was another epic blood, sweat and tears battle to add to Ortiz's already packed resume.

Ortiz wasn't alone in coming up clutch. With all three doubles matches taking seven games to win, the Tide took an early advantage, with seniors Gabriel Diaz Freire and Zhe Zhou getting a 7-5 win at No. 2 and Ortiz and fellow senior Alexey Nesterov, getting a tiebreak win, 7-6(5), at No. 3 to secure the doubles point.

Patrick Kaukovalta then picked up a point at No. 2 singles in straight sets, followed by another two-set win by senior Jeremy Gschwendtner at No. 6 to put the score at 3-0 in the Crimson Tide's favor. That put the ball in Ortiz's court once again and the firey graduate student brought it home. While he clinched the match, senior Riccardo Roberto ground out a three-set win at No. 5 to put the final tally at 5-2.

Head Coach George Husack Said

"Tonight was so special. Honoring a large senior class that has made such a positive impact to our program was both necessary and memorable. And then to see seniors lead us to victory was icing on the cake. First Zhe, Gabi, Alexey and Edson in a tight doubles point, followed by Patrick, Jeremy, Ricky and Edson in singles. Edson literally had battle wounds on his arms and legs from digging out points. I'm so happy for them and to win this way on their night is something they will never forget.

I asked the team this week if we needed to get better. When you're on the wrong end of a few 4-3s you can start to question your game, ability and belief. We've gotten better each week and been in every match of those tough defeats. So it wasn't about getting better but rather doing a little bit better. Staying engaged and not giving away cheap points. Earning the opportunities and executing. They accomplished this task tonight and I'm proud of their resilience and resolve. It's back to work tomorrow to prepare to once again do better in Oxford on Sunday. The process continues and so does the progress."

#35 Alabama 5, #15 Mississippi State 2

Singles

No. 1 #74 Edson Ortiz (UA) def. #51 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4
No. 2 #113 Patrick Kaukovalta (UA) def. #45 Florian Broska (MSU) 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 #71 Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) def. #101 Zhe Zhou (UA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 Alberto Colas (MSU) def. Gabriel Diaz Freire (UA) 6-1, 4-6, 6-0
No. 5 Riccardo Roberto (UA) def. Carles Hernandez (MSU) 4-6, 6-1, 7-5
No. 6 Jeremy Gschwendtner (UA) def. #49 Davide Tortora (MSU) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles

No. 1 #52 Florian Broska/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) def. #25 Patrick Kaukovalta/Riccardo Roberto (UA) 7-5
No. 2 Gabriel Diaz Freire/Zhe Zhou (UA) def. Giovanni Oradini/Stedman Strickland (MSU) 7-5
No. 3 Alexey Nesterov/Edson Ortiz (UA) def. Davide Tortora/Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) 7-6 (7-5)

Up Next

Alabama follows Friday night's win under the light against Mississippi State, with a trip to Oxford, Miss., where they will take on Ole Miss Sunday, April 4 at 1 p.m. CT

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