Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
No. 25 Oklahoma State
No. 23 Texas Tech Drops No. 23 OSU, 4-3
April 10, 2015 | Men's Tennis
Felipe Soares broke a 3-3 tie to give Texas Tech the win with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win at No. 1 on Friday.
April 10, 2015
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Clubber Lane has nothing on this.
No. 23 Texas Tech went blow for blow with No. 25 Oklahoma State and prevailed with a 4-3 decision Friday night at the McLeod Tennis Center in front of 832 raucous fans.
The win improves the Red Raiders to 17-6 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12 Conference, while Oklahoma State falls to 16-6, 0-3 in league play. Friday's attendance is the third largest crowd to watch a men's collegiate tennis match this season.
"When you lose close matches to No. 9 and No. 10 and then you face No. 1 on Sunday and No. 2 next week, you know that this is going to be a tough, close match. This was an extremely important win for us."
Texas Tech has now won five of their last six matches against Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders also won their 17th match in a season for the first time since 2011 and just the ninth time in the last 40 years.
With the score knotted at 3-3, it came down to the top player from each team to decide the match -- Texas Tech's No. 35 Felipe Soares and OSU's No. 39 Jakob Sude. Soares took the first set 6-4 and Sude answered with a 6-4 win in the second.
The two players battled it out at No. 1, with each holding serve until it was 4-4. At 40-40, Soares nailed the winner and earned the first break of the set. He then closed out the match with an ace for the 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win, sending the Red Raider players onto the court dogpiling the Brazilian.
"The thing about Felipe is he does not get tight," said Siegel. "He plays to win and that is what you have to have at No. 1."
The day started in the trenches, as No. 33 Soares and Hugo Dojas cruised to a 6-3 win over No. 26 Sude and Arjun Kadhe.
Alex Sendegeya and Jolan Cailleau battled back from a 3-1 deficit to upend Nicolai Ferrigno and Lucas Gerch, 7-6 (7-5). To give Texas Tech a 1-0 lead with the doubles point.
Sendegeya couldn't miss on Friday, dropping winners short, deep and in between en route to a 6-0, 6-1 upset win over No. 118 Kadhe in 47 minutes.
Lukas Finzelberg gave Oklahoma State its first point of the match, when he upset No. 114 Jolan Cailleau, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 4.
Dojas added the third upset of the day, as the junior from Brazil ousted No. 98 Gerch, 6-3, 7-5 at No. 2 and Texas Tech led the match, 3-1.
Jurence Mendoza defeated Connor Curry at No. 6, 6-2, 6-2, and Ferrigno topped Francisco Zambon, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to tie the match at 3-3.
Soares, who earned his 20th win of the season, then provided the knockout blow to the Cowboys to give Texas Tech the win.
The Red Raiders will now face No. 1 Oklahoma on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the McLeod Tennis Center. The Sooners topped No. 2 Baylor in Waco, 4-3, to improve to 21-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12.
#23 Texas Tech 4, #25 Oklahoma State 3
Lubbock, Texas (McLeod Tennis Center)
Singles
1. #35 Felipe Soares (TT) def. #39 Jakob Sude (OKST) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
2. Hugo Dojas (TT) def. #98 Lucas Gerch (OKST) 6-3, 7-5
3. Alex Sendegeya (TT) def. #118 Arjun Kadhe (OKST) 6-0, 6-1
4. Lukas Finzelberg (OKST) def. #114 Jolan Cailleau (TT) 6-4, 6-4
5. Nicolai Ferrigno (OKST) def. Francisco Zambon (TT) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Jurence Mendoza (OKST) def. Connor Curry (TT) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. #33 Felipe Soares / Hugo Dojas (TT) def. #26 Jakob Sude / Arjun Kadhe (OKST) 6-3
2. Alex Sendegeya / Jolan Cailleau (TT) def. Nicolai Ferrigno / Lucas Gerch (OKST) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Francisco Zambon / Connor Curry (TT) vs. Tristan Meraut / Jurence Mendoza (OKST) 5-6, unfinished
Records: #25 Oklahoma State (16-6, 0-3 Big 12); #23 Texas Tech (17-6, 1-2 Big 12)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,4,2,6,5,1)
T-3:01 A-832
Players Mentioned
