March 13, 2009
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue men's tennis team defeated Toledo 6-1 Friday on the Basham Courts inside the Schwartz Tennis Center.
"Our goal was to make sure we had a consistent level of focus from start to finish," head coach Tim Madden said. "For the most part, we did that well. Branko (Kuzmanovic) is the best example of that. He got on top of his opponent and didn't let him back in. This is the third match in a row we have played consistently in doubles and singles."
Purdue (5-7) swept the doubles point for the fourth time this season by winning all three matches 8-4. Sophomore Eric Ramos and freshman Thomas Wilson improved to 3-0 as a duo with their victory over Robbie McCallum and Wade Ward at No. 3. The Boilermakers clinched the doubles point at No. 2, where junior Branko Kuzmanovic and senior P.J. Rose defeated 73rd-ranked Levi Bent-Lee and Aleksandar Elezovic. At the No. 1 position, junior Slavko Bijelica and senior Griff Nienberg took down Jared Miller and Nutthavit Likitkumchorn.
The Boilermakers extended their lead as the match moved to singles. Kuzmanovic earned the first decision by taking down Elezovic 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 3 position. Toledo (11-6) got on the board at No. 2 when Likitkumchorn defeated Ramos 7-6 (4), 6-2. Jan-Frans Engelbrecht picked up a win in his first collegiate match as the freshman from Somerset, South Africa, beat Bent-Lee 7-5, 6-4 at No. 6.
Bijelica, ranked 93rd in the latest NCAA singles rankings, clinched the match for Purdue and improved to 9-3 this season with his 6-1, 7-6 (7) victory over Miller at No. 1. Rose widened the gap even further while improving to 7-4 this season by defeating Gursher Harika 6-4, 7-5 at No. 4. The final margin was reached at the No. 5 spot when freshman Roberto Cabrini beat Jayson Miller 7-6 (5), 6-7 (9), 1-0 (8).
"It was important for us to bring our energy again like we had the last two matches," Bijelica said. "I think we did that, especially in doubles. We came out firing and didn't let them come back. We did the same thing in singles. I'm proud of Jan-Frans for getting a win at No. 6. I think he can really help us. Branko cruised to a win in his match. Those two guys played well today."
Purdue now leads the all-time series 7-1. The Boilermakers improved to 3-1 this season when winning all three doubles matches. Purdue hits the road for spring break next week and faces Princeton Tuesday in San Diego.