Alabama
Southern California
Strong Singles Action Highlights No. 21 Alabama’s 4-1 Upset Win over No. 5 Southern California
2/18/2024 9:08:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Crimson Tide recorded four-straight singles wins to defeat the fifth-ranked Trojans at the ITA National Indoor Championships
NEW YORK –– The No. 21 Alabama men's tennis team (8-4) recorded four-straight wins in singles play to upset the No. 5 Southern California Trojans (4-5) Sunday in a consolation match at the ITA National Indoor Championships.
After both teams captured a win in doubles, USC edged the Tide 7-5 in a tiebreaker on court three for the opening point.
Alabama responded by winning the next four matches in singles play to clinch the victory. No. 74 Enzo Aguiard secured the equalizing point with a win over No. 96 Lodewijk Weststrate on court two, before No. 53 Filip Planinsek topped No. 38 Peter Makk on court one. No. 115 Matias Ponce De Leon followed with a victory over Oscar Weightman on court three as all three UA players captured their victory in two sets.
After splitting the opening two rounds, Andrii Zimnokh traded games with Volodymyr Iakubenko on court four to force a third-set tiebreaker. Zimnokh won the final three points in the tiebreak to claim both the individual and overall team victory.
From Head Coach George Husack
"I guess you could sum up the weekend in that our ability to respond was tested 24/7. How would we respond to questions and an element of surprise about how it had been such a long time since Alabama qualified for National Indoors? How would we respond to nearly beating the top-ranked team in the country on Friday? How would we respond to not performing at our best a night later against the tournament host on their home turf? How would we respond to facing a program that has won more NCAA team titles than any school in the country? How would we respond to losing a very tight doubles point for the second night in a row? How would guys respond and make a statement on the final day of the tournament? Well to keep it simple, the guys kept moving forward and responded, period. I'm really proud of their courage and intent all weekend. We've been on a good path for the last two years with the core of this group and winning has not been the staple but plenty of progress has been made. Last year's roster additions and this year's have made immediate impacts so like I said we're on a good path. There's not much time for rest as we will have another challenging weekend ahead of us at Blue Gray. I'm confident in this group's ability to respond and excited for the next opportunity."
Match Notes
- The win was the second over a top-10 ranked team this season as UA also downed then-No. 10 Kentucky at the ITA Kickoff Weekend
- UA recorded the first win in doubles action as No. 45 Filip Planinsek and Andrii Zimnokh topped Karl Kazuma Lee and Oscar Weightman 6-4 on court two
- USC however would take the wins on courts one and three to secure the opening point
- No. 74 Enzo Aguaird cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory against No. 96 Lodewijk Weststrate on court two to tie the match
- Moments later, 53rd-ranked Filip Planinsek followed with a 6-3, 6-4 win against No. 38 Peter Makk to give UA the lead
- Matias Ponce De Leon also tallied a two-set victory in the match, defeating Oscar Weightman 6-3, 6-3 on court three
- Andrii Zimnokh clinched the overall team win for Alabama, battling his way through a three-set matchup on court four
- Zimnokh took the opening set at 6-4, before dropping set two 6-2
- He would win the final three points in round three for a 7-6(4) victory in the tiebreak
- Additionally, Roan Jones, court five, and Matic Dimic, court six, battled their way through a pair of 6-6 tiebreakers in both sets one and two
- Jones was trailing 6-7 (6), 7-6(7), 5-2 to Karl Kazuma Lee, while Dimic led 7-6(12), 6-7(5), 2-1 against Samuel Rubell when the match was decided
Next
- Alabama will head to the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic
- The two-day tournament will begin Feb. 23 in Montgomery, Ala.
Results
Doubles
- Peter Makk/Lodewijk Weststrate (USC) def. Enzo Aguiard/Zach Foster (UA) 6-3
- #45 Filip Planinsek/Andrii Zimnokh (UA) def. Karl Kazuma Lee/Oscar Weightman (USC) 6-4
- Volodymyr Iakubenko/Samuel Rubell (USC) def. Matic Dimic/Roan Jones (UA) 7-6
Order of Finish (2,1,3)
Singles
- #53 Filip Planinsek (UA) def. #38 Peter Makk (USC) 6-3, 6-4
- #74 Enzo Aguiard (UA) def. #96 Lodewijk Weststrate (USC) 6-2, 6-2
- #115 Matias Ponce De Leon (UA) def. Oscar Weightman (USC) 6-3, 6-3
- Andrii Zimnokh (UA) def. Volodymyr Iakubenko (USC) 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4)
- Karl Kazuma Lee (USC) vs. Roan Jones (UA) 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (9-7), 5-2, unfinished
- Samuel Rubell (USC) vs. Matic Dimic (UA) 6-7 (12-14), 7-6 (7-5), 1-2, unfinished
Order of Finish (2,1,3,4)
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– UA –
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:
2,1,3,4
Players Mentioned
