MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Senior Syrym
Abdukhalikov rallied late in his No. 1 singles match to capture
a victory, clinching a narrow, 4-3 win for Tennessee Tech Friday at
Morehead State in Ohio Valley Conference tennis action.
It was Tech's 11th straight regular season OVC win, and kept the
Golden Eagles unbeaten in conference play in 2013 with a 3-0
record. That streak and unblemished mark will face a severe test
Saturday when coach Kenny Doyle's team visits Eastern Kentucky for
an 11 a.m. contest in Richmond, Ky.
Tech gained an early foothold in dramatic fashion, grabbing the
doubles point with overtime wins at the two top spots.
The Golden Eagle duo of Othon Lima and Alvaro Cintas had earned an
8-2 win at No. 3 doubles, but the point didn't get marked for Tech
until one of the other tandems could produce a victory and they
both went to a ninth point. Abdukhalikov and Alejandro Augusto
posted a 9-7 victory over Nick Mercer and Ji Hoon Heo at No. 1,
while Vasily Eremeev and Artem Tarasov eeked out a 9-8 win over
Kevin Deligny and David Clifford at No. 2.
Up 1-0, Tech learned it needed that point when Morehead State
clinched wins at three singles positions.
Giovanni Samaha posted a 6-2, 6-3 win over Cintas at No. 3, Mercer
claimed a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Artura Santa at No. 5, and Deligny
won a 6-1, 6-3 contest at No. 6 over Lima.
Tech countered with a 6-0, 6-0 win by Augusto at No. 2 over Nathan
Martin, and a 6-3, 6-4 triumph at No. 4 by Eremeev over
Clifford.
That left the match hinging on the outsome at the No. 1 spot,
where Abdukhalikov surrendered a 6-2 loss in the first set to Heo.
Tech's senior leader fought back for a 7-6 (7-5) win in the second
set to level the playing field, then cruised to a 6-3 win in the
third set to win the day's action.
Tennessee Tech 4, Morehead State 3
Mar 29, 2013 at Morehead, Ky. (Sadler Courts)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Syrym Abdukhalikov (TTU) def. HEO, Ji Hoon (MOR) 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 |
| 2. Alejandro Augusto (TTU) def. MARTIN, Nathan (MOR) 6-0, 6-0 |
| 3. SAMAHA, Giovanni (MOR) def. Alvaro Cintas (TTU) 6-2, 6-3 |
| 4. Vasily Eremeev (TTU) def. David Clifford (MOR) 6-3, 6-4 |
| 5. MERCER, Nick (MOR) def. Arturo Santa Ruiz (TTU) 6-2, 6-4 |
| 6. Kevin Deligny (MOR) def. Othon Lima (TTU) 6-1, 6-3 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Syrym Abdukhalikov/Alejandro Augusto (TTU) def. HEO, Ji Hoon/MERCER, Nick (MOR) 9-7 |
| 2. Vasily Eremeev/Artem Tarasov (TTU) def. Kevin Deligny/David Clifford (MOR) 9-8 |
| 3. Othon Lima/Alvaro Cintas (TTU) def. ALMONTE, Hugo/MARTIN, Nathan (MOR) 8-2 |
| Match Notes |
| Tennessee Tech 3-9/3-0 OVC |
| Morehead State 6-9/2-2 OVC |
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