Tech Tandem Captures Doubles Title in Lafayette

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Cajun Fall Classic

Tech Tandem Captures Doubles Title in Lafayette

September 23, 2018 | Men's Tennis

Red Raiders win Cajun Tennis Classic for second time in three years.

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Red Raider duo of Kapshuk and Valiev fought their way to a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Sarkar and Rutledge of Rice University to secure the doubles championship at the 2018 John Breaux Cajun Tennis Classic on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

2018 John Breaux Cajun Tennis Classic

Artem Kapshuk and Ilgiz Valiev competed in both singles and doubles play in the annual fall tournament.

"Anytime you leave a tournament with a title, it feels great," assistant coach Daniel Whitehead said. "There wasn't a single match in which we weren't engaged and locked in. Anytime the guys had a chance to get frustrated or get down on themselves, they stuck to the game plan and persevered. It was fun to watch."

Kapshuk and Valiev rattled of wins against the second, third and eighth seeded opponents in the tournament en route to a championship winning victory Sunday afternoon.

"I think the reason we won this tournament, besides executing at a high level, is the mentality we played with," Whitehead said. "As always, there are things to work on and improve, but we're excited to get back to work with the rest of the guys on Tuesday."

2018 Battle in the Bay

The pair of Tommy Mylnikov and Jackson Cobb battled through a loaded field of competitors on their way to a quarterfinal finish in doubles play. Mylnikov and Cobb posted wins of 8-5 and 8-3 before falling 8-4 to the third seeded Georgia Bulldogs.

"We played some really great matches," head coach Brett Masi said. "We didn't quite get the results we wanted, but each day we got a little better, which is the main goal. The guys started playing better tennis and executing more on the game plans we've been working on in practice."

Parker Wynn, in only his second tournament as a Red Raider, seized multiple wins of his own in the singles bracket. Wynn defeated his first opponent in straight sets by a score 7-5 and 6-2. His second win came with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 decision against the No. 10 seeded singles player out of Cal.

The Red Raiders will return to action in both the Rice Invitational and the Saint Francis/ITA All-American Championships Pre-Qualifying tournaments, beginning Friday, September 28th.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/techmenstennis and @TexasTechMTEN on Twitter and Instagram.

2018 John Breaux Cajun Tennis Classic – Singles Main Draw
Ferguson (USF) def. Valiev (TTU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
Kapshuk (TTU) def. Yatsuk (USF) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
Banzer (UT) def. Kapshuk 7-6, 2-6, 6-4

2018 John Breaux Cajun Tennis Classic – Doubles Main Draw
Valiev/Kapshuk (TTU) def. Dolan/Lago (Louisiana) 8-4
Valiev/Kapshuk (TTU) def. Ferguson/Yatsuk (USF) 8-7(7)
Valiev/Kapshuk (TTU) def. Sarkar/Rutledge (Rice) 6-2, 6-4

2018 Battle in the Bay – Singles Main Draw
Girard (San Francisco) def. Tommy Mylnikov (TTU) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0(7)
Andre Ilagan (Hawaii) def. Jackson Cobb (TTU) 6-2, 7-6(5)
Parker Wynn (TTU) def. Nico Borter (San Diego) 7-5, 6-2
Parker Wynn (TTU) def. Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
Brandon Holt (USC) def. Parker Wynn (TTU) 6-2, 7-6

2018 Battle in the Bay - Singles Consolation
Jackson Cobb (TTU) def. Ignacio Martinez (SDSU) 6-1, 7-5
Andrew Fenty (UM) def. Jackson Cobb (TTU) 6-1, 7-5
Tommy Mylnikov (TTU) def. Ben Draper (Cal) 6-4, 2-6, 1-0(4)
Sander Jong (TCU) def. Tommy Mylnikov (TTU) 6-3, 7-6(3)

2018 Battle in the Bay – Doubles Main Draw
Cobb/Mylnikov (TTU) def. Watson/Chinamo (Pacific) 8-5
Cobb/Mylnikov (TTU) def. Soke/Bugailiskis (Fresno State) 8-3
Zielinski/Loeb (Georgia) def. Cobb/Mylnikov (TTU) 8-4