Jan. 18, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue men's tennis team defeated Eastern Kentucky 6-1 Monday on the Basham Courts inside the Schwartz Tennis Center.
"Eastern Kentucky is very likely an NCAA team," head coach Pawel Gajdzik said. "They are favored to win their conference and be in the bracket. They are very competitive, and it was good for us to play them. We made adjustments to swing the close matches our way. We came out strong in doubles and gained the momentum. In singles, we continued playing strongly and you could see the guys were eager to win. We definitely still have work to do and we will get better as the season goes, but this was a step in the right direction."
Purdue (1-0) jumped out to an early lead by winning two of the three doubles contests. Senior Paul Foley and sophomore Matt Manasse earned the first win by defeating Parul Verma and Philip Janz 8-2 at No. 3. The point was clinched at No. 2 when senior Slavko Bijelica and sophomore Thomas Wilson upended Alex Das and Carles Pons 8-4. Eastern Kentucky (0-1) won the match at No. 1, where Hugo Klientovsky and Nik Schroeder beat senior P.J. Rose and junior Eric Ramos 8-7 (4).
The Boilermakers extended their lead as the match moved into singles play. Rose breezed through a 6-4, 6-0 defeat of Klientovsky at No. 2, and Ramos followed with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Schroeder at No. 3. The Colonels got on the scoreboard next as Verma earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Manasse at No. 5.
Wilson clinched the match for Purdue by beating Pons at No. 6 by a 6-1, 7-6 (4) score. Foley, who tied for the team lead with four wins during the Boilermaker Invitational, outlasted Carlos Valdenebro 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (3) at No. 4. Bijelica wrapped up the competition with a 6-3, 6-7 (4), 1-0 (7) defeat of Das at No. 1.
Purdue completes its doubleheader Monday afternoon by hosting Eastern Illinois. The Boilermakers and Panthers face off beginning at 3 p.m.