March 25, 2016
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. ââ'¬" A top-15 upset and a valiant comeback effort wasn't enough as No. 12 Northwestern edged No. 54 Purdue 4-2 Friday on the Basham Courts at the Schwartz Tennis Center. The loss is the first in Big Ten action for the Boilermakers, who moved to 12-4 and 1-1 in the league. Northwestern improved to 15-2 and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
In a battle between nationally ranked players, it was No. 51 Gergely Madarasz sweeping No. 13 Konrad Zieba. The Boilermaker took the first set 6-2 at the top of the lineup, setting the stage for an exciting second set. Madarasz sealed the deal, winning the second set 6-4 to tie the contest at 1-1.
The Wildcats earned their second point when No. 57 Benjamin Ugarte fell to 42nd-ranked Sam Shropshire 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 2 slot. At the bottom of the lineup, Lucas Dages dropped a 7-6, 6-3 match to Alp Horoz.
Dominik Sochurek rallied to defeat Fedor Baev 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the fourth spot in the lineup. Two matches remained, both in their third set, while the score sat 3-2 in favor of the Wildcats after Sochurek's win.
The deciding match came at No. 3 with Ricky Medinilla coming up just short to Strong Kirchheimer, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, to give Northwestern its fourth and final point.
In doubles action, the Wildcats started strong and Purdue was unable to keep up. Boilermaker pair Mateus Silva and Renan Hanayama lost 6-1 to Horoz and Mihir Kumar at the No. 3 spot.
Northwestern's top duo closed out doubles with a 6-1 showing from Baev and Kirchheimer against Sochurek and Medinilla.
Purdue hits the road to go head-to-head with No. 10 Illinois at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday for the second match of a split Big Ten weekend. The match is set to be played at the Atkins Tennis Center.