April 20, 2003
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Top-ranked Illinois proved too much for the Purdue men's tennis team, as the Fighting Illini handed the 50th-ranked Boilermakers a 6-1 loss in West Lafayette on Sunday. Illinois' win capped off a perfect regular season, in which it won all 23 matches, including 10 in Big Ten play. Purdue finished the regular season with a 13-7 overall record and a 7-3 Big Ten mark.
Both teams will turn their attention to the upcoming Big Ten Championships, which will be hosted by Northwestern from April 24 to 27. Illinois, the No. 1 seed and defending champion, will have a first-round bye. The fourth-seeded Boilermakers will face No. 5 seed Michigan State on Friday. The Spartans finished their Big Ten season with a 5-5 record.
Purdue entered its match against Illinois with confidence to spare following Friday's 6-1 win at Indiana, but the Fighting Illini quickly took the upper hand by winning the doubles point. Rajeev Ram and Brian Wilson, ranked 16th nationally, downed senior Scott Mayer and junior Troy Havens 8-2 at No. 1. Soon after, senior Andrew Wakefield and freshman Paul Rose fell victim to sixth-ranked Amer Delic and Michael Calkins by an 8-6 score at No. 2.
After the doubles point had been decided, junior Seth McKinley and sophomore Sounak Chatterjee provided an 8-6 win over Chris Martin and Pramod Dabir at No. 3 doubles.
The Boilermakers fought hard in singles, winning three of the six first sets. But Illinois began to build on its one-point lead behind wins by eighth-ranked Wilson at No. 3, and Martin at No. 5.
Fourth-ranked Delic decided the match with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Mayer at No. 1.
Despite the team outcome already having been determined, the three remaining matches proceeded fiercely. Unfortunately for the Boilermakers, the first two went to Illinois, with sophomore David Robinson falling 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Ryler DeHeart at No. 6, and Rose bowing 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Calkins at No. 4.
The highlight of Purdue's afternoon was provided by Wakefield, who held on for a 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 win over 14th-ranked Ram at No. 2, in the last match off the court.
Though the team result did not please Wakefield, he took pleasure in his personal victory on Senior Day.
"This is the first time I've ever beaten anyone from Illinois, so that's a great feeling," Wakefield said. "I played pretty well in the first set, but struggled a bit with my serve in the second. Somehow I managed to squeak it out."
Even though Mayer could not match his classmate's singles success, Purdue head coach Tim Madden was proud of both his seniors in the final regular-season match of their careers.
"I am very happy for Scott and Andrew," Madden said. "In their last home match we challenged very competitively one of the top teams in the country. Andrew's win was the exclamation point."
Madden and the Boilermakers hope the lessons learned from the Illinois match will help bring them success during postseason play.
"We're a better team for this experience," Madden said. "I think it'll help us in the Big Ten tournament."
#1 Illinois 6, #50 Purdue 1Doubles1. Ram/Wilson (I) def. Mayer/Havens (P) 8-22. Delic/Calkins (I) def. Wakefield/Rose (P) 8-63. McKinley/Sounak Chatterjee (P) def. Martin/Pramod Dabir (I) 8-6Singles1. Amer Delic (I) def. Scott Mayer (P) 6-4, 6-22. Andrew Wakefield (P) def. Rajeev Ram (I) 6-4, 4-6, 10-83. Brian Wilson (I) def. Troy Havens (P) 6-2, 6-14. Michael Calkins (I) def. Paul Rose (P) 1-6, 6-3, 6-45. Chris Martin (I) def. Seth McKinley (P) 6-4, 6-16. Ryler DeHeart (I) def. David Robinson (P) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
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