Spring Break
Men's tennis team defeats Oklahoma State at neutral site
By: Brett Sebastian
Issue date: 3/30/09 Section: Sports
The No. 14 Texas A&M men's tennis team narrowly defeated the No. 29 Oklahoma State Cowboys 4-3 in Tulsa Sunday. The win, moved to Tulsa from Stillwater due to inclement weather, makes the Aggies 2-0 on the season and gives head coach Steve Denton his first ever win over Oklahoma State.
"It was a hard-fought match," said Denton in an interview with Aggie Athletics. "They smoked us in doubles, and for us to come out and win four singles matches against some very good players is a credit to the guys."
The Aggies were swept in doubles play to start in a 1-0 hole but came back to win four sets and capture the victory. Sophomores Wil Spencer and Alexy Grigorov along with freshman Colin Hoover captured the first three matches and set up sophomore Austin Krajicek for the final match and the win.
Krajicek had to fight from behind against OSU's Nathan Byrnes but he captured the Aggie win in a tiebreaker, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6.
"Austin was in a hole, but he really stepped up and raised his level of play to force the tiebreaker," Denton said. "Austin came through when he had to. That's the mark of a great player - being able to raise your level of play when there is the most pressure."
The Aggies return to College Station to take on No. 35 Tulsa on Wednesday. The Golden Hurricanes feature one of the nation's best players in Arnau Brugues, currently ranked number one overall.
"It was a hard-fought match," said Denton in an interview with Aggie Athletics. "They smoked us in doubles, and for us to come out and win four singles matches against some very good players is a credit to the guys."
The Aggies were swept in doubles play to start in a 1-0 hole but came back to win four sets and capture the victory. Sophomores Wil Spencer and Alexy Grigorov along with freshman Colin Hoover captured the first three matches and set up sophomore Austin Krajicek for the final match and the win.
Krajicek had to fight from behind against OSU's Nathan Byrnes but he captured the Aggie win in a tiebreaker, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6.
"Austin was in a hole, but he really stepped up and raised his level of play to force the tiebreaker," Denton said. "Austin came through when he had to. That's the mark of a great player - being able to raise your level of play when there is the most pressure."
The Aggies return to College Station to take on No. 35 Tulsa on Wednesday. The Golden Hurricanes feature one of the nation's best players in Arnau Brugues, currently ranked number one overall.
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