March 17, 2011
SAN DIEGO - The Boilermaker men's tennis team knocked off the Denver Pioneers, 4-3, on Thursday to advance to the second round of the San Diego Invitational.
"It was a tough come-from-behind win," head coach Pawel Gajdzik said. "We lost a lot of first sets, but I have to give a lot of credit to the lower guys. They are the guys that believed that we could win even when we were behind. We were the more aggressive team. We have to learn from the doubles and early singles matches so we can get better for tomorrow."
Denver (2-10) got off to a good start by winning the doubles point. Eric Ramos and Mark Kovacs were first to finish with an 8-1 win at the No. 3 spot. However, the Pioneers were able to win No. 1 and No. 2, 8-1 and 8-4, respectively.
Purdue (8-5, 0-1 Big Ten) bounced back in singles play. Pawel Poziomski was first to finish as he tied the team score at one with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 6. The Pioneers retook the lead with a win at No. 1 over Krisztian Krocsko, 7-6 (6), 6-2.
Next, Szymon Tatarczyk lost at No. 2, 7-5, 6-3 to give Denver a 3-1 lead. Ramos again brought the Boilermakers within a point with a win at No. 4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. Aaron Dujovne tied the score for Purdue as he won, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, to improve his record to 11-2 on the season. Kovacs gave the Boilermakers their first lead and the win at No. 3 with a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2 win.
The Boilermakers will face San Diego State on Friday. The Aztecs bring a 2-9 record into the match after knocking off No. 53 Princeton on Thursday. The match will begin at 5 p.m. ET at the Aztec Tennis Center.