April 18, 2014
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Unranked Michigan State stunned the 28th-ranked Purdue men's tennis team, 5-2, Friday at the MSU Outdoor Courts. The 10-13, 4-6 Big Ten Spartans captured the doubles point and won four of six singles matches to upset the Boilermakers. Purdue's loss was its first to an unranked team this season while its record moved to 15-5, 7-3 Big Ten.
For just the seventh time in 20 matches played, Purdue was unable to reel in the doubles point. The 85th-ranked duo of Diego Acosta and Aaron Dujovne titled the battle in the Boilermakers' favor by dismantling Gijs Linders and Harry Jadun, 8-4. Acosta and Dujovne improved to 8-6 while winning their third consecutive match as the Boilermakers' No. 2 tandem.
Michigan State responded and evened the scales with a victory at No. 3. Aaron Pfister and Brett Forman took the match from Mark Kovacs and Mateus Silva in the breaker, 8-7, (7-5). With the point resting on the result at No. 1, the Spartan duo of Drew Lied and John Patrick Mullane upset No. 70 Szymon Tatarczyk and Ricky Medinilla, 8-6. The ranked Purdue pair suffered their second loss in as many matches and just their third overall for an 8-3 record.
The lead grew to 2-0 for Michigan State as Pfister denied Kovacs his 10th-straight singles win in a 6-4, 6-1 decision for the Spartan at No. 3. A 6-4, 6-3 victory by Medinilla over Mullane in the No. 2 position followed to get Purdue on the board, narrowing Michigan State's lead to 2-1.
After winning 14 straight at No. 6, Silva was dealt his second straight setback, a 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 loss at the hands of Jadun. The match-clinching point ensued as Lied defeated Tatarczyk in the No. 1 spot, 6-3, 7-5.
At No. 4, Dujovne, the reigning Big Ten Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week, lost just his third match of his senior campaign in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, to Forman while playing at No. 4. The match concluded on a positive note for Purdue thanks to Acosta's grinding three-setter over Linders, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2). Acosta's win was his fifth straight as he improved to 14-4.
The Boilermakers will look to rebound in their regular season finale at No. 49 Michigan Sunday. First serves are scheduled for 12 p.m. ET from Ann Arbor.
Michigan State 5, No. 28 Purdue 2 | Box Score
Doubles
1: Drew Lied/John Patrick Mullane (Michigan State) def. No. 70 Szymon Tatarczyk/Ricky Medinilla (Purdue), 8-6
2: No. 85 Diego Acosta/Aaron Dujovne (Purdue) def. Gijs Linders/Harry Jadun (Michigan State), 8-4
3: Aaron Pfister/Brett Forman (Michigan State) def. Mark Kovacs/Mateus Silva (Purdue), 8-7 (7-5)
Singles
1: Drew Lied (Michigan State) def. Szymon Tatarczyk (Purdue), 6-3, 7-5
2: Ricky Medinilla (Purdue) def. John Patrick Mullane (Michigan State), 6-4, 6-3
3: Aaron Pfister (Michigan State) def. Mark Kovacs (Purdue), 6-4, 6-1
4: Brett Forman (Michigan State) def. Aaron Dujovne (Purdue), 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
5: Diego Acosta (Purdue) def. Jijs Linders (Michigan State), 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2)
6: Harry Jadun (Michigan State) def. Mateus Silva (Purdue), 7-6 (9-7), 6-3