Thursday, January 16
Iowa City, IA
6 PM
Texas Tech Athletics
4
at
3
University of Iowa
Red Raiders Open Season with 4-3 Victory over Iowa
January 16, 2020 | Men's Tennis
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Texas Tech men's tennis team opened their 2020 dual match campaign with a 4-3 road victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday night.
"I told the guys before the match that we're fighting with and for each other," head coach Daniel Whitehead said. "It took every bit of that tonight. Franco was the hero at the end of the match, but this was a total team win. I'm very happy for our guys."
The Red Raiders took the early 1-0 match advantage with a pair of wins in doubles play. Reed Collier and Francisco Vittar, in the first dual match of their respective careers, notched the evening's first win with a 6-3 victory over Clegg/Tyler of Iowa.
The initial match point would later be secured by the veteran duo of Bjorn Thomson and Parker Wynn as they picked up their first triumph over a ranked foe in 2020 with a 6-4 win over No. 16 Davies/Okonkwo.
In singles, Tech took the early advantage with two first-set wins from Thomson on court six and Vittar on court four. Thomson would then secure the second match point of the night in the second set with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Clegg.
The third point of the match would also come in straight-set fashion, courtesy of a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory for No. 69 Ilgiz Valiev on the second court.
Iowa took their first point of the match on court one, as No. 60 Kareem Allaf took down Wynn by a 4-6, 7-6(3) margin. The next two points for the Hawkeyes were both won in three-set thrillers, as Tyler took down Collier 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 and Davies knocked off Vittar, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(9).
With the match tied at three points, sophomore Franco Ribero forced a decisive third set after battling back take the second set at 6-4. In a winner-take-all third, Ribero pulled through with a 7-5 defeat of Kerst, breaking serve three times and securing the 4-3 match win for Tech.
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders will return to action with a doubleheader in Lubbock on Monday, January 20th against UTRGV and Abilene Christian. The first match against the Vaqueros is scheduled to begin at approximately 9 a.m. CT at Lubbock Country Club. Tech is slated to play their match against the Wildcats at the McLeod Tennis Center at 3.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans are also encouraged to follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/techmenstennis and @TexasTechMTEN on Twitter and Instagram.
Texas Tech 4, Iowa 3
Doubles
1 - Thomson/Wynn (TTU) def. No. 16 Davies Okonkwo (Iowa): 6-4
2 - Valiev/Cobb (TTU) vs. Allaf/Snezhko (Iowa): 5-5
3 - Collier/Vittar (TTU) def. Clegg/Tyler (Iowa): 6-3
Singles
1 - No. 60 Kareem Allaf (Iowa) def. Parker Wynn (TTU): 6-4, 7-6(3)
2 - No. 69 Ilgiz Valiev (TTU) def. Oliver Okonkwo (Iowa): 7-6(6), 6-3
3 - Joe Tyler (Iowa) def. No. 114 Reed Collier (TTU): 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
4 - Will Davies (Iowa) def. Francisco Vittar (TTU): 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(9)
5 - Franco Ribero (TTU) def. Jason Kerst (Iowa): 7-5, 4-6, 7-5
6 - Bjorn Thomson (TTU) def. Matt Clegg (Iowa): 6-3, 6-4
"I told the guys before the match that we're fighting with and for each other," head coach Daniel Whitehead said. "It took every bit of that tonight. Franco was the hero at the end of the match, but this was a total team win. I'm very happy for our guys."
The Red Raiders took the early 1-0 match advantage with a pair of wins in doubles play. Reed Collier and Francisco Vittar, in the first dual match of their respective careers, notched the evening's first win with a 6-3 victory over Clegg/Tyler of Iowa.
The initial match point would later be secured by the veteran duo of Bjorn Thomson and Parker Wynn as they picked up their first triumph over a ranked foe in 2020 with a 6-4 win over No. 16 Davies/Okonkwo.
In singles, Tech took the early advantage with two first-set wins from Thomson on court six and Vittar on court four. Thomson would then secure the second match point of the night in the second set with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Clegg.
The third point of the match would also come in straight-set fashion, courtesy of a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory for No. 69 Ilgiz Valiev on the second court.
Iowa took their first point of the match on court one, as No. 60 Kareem Allaf took down Wynn by a 4-6, 7-6(3) margin. The next two points for the Hawkeyes were both won in three-set thrillers, as Tyler took down Collier 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 and Davies knocked off Vittar, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(9).
With the match tied at three points, sophomore Franco Ribero forced a decisive third set after battling back take the second set at 6-4. In a winner-take-all third, Ribero pulled through with a 7-5 defeat of Kerst, breaking serve three times and securing the 4-3 match win for Tech.
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders will return to action with a doubleheader in Lubbock on Monday, January 20th against UTRGV and Abilene Christian. The first match against the Vaqueros is scheduled to begin at approximately 9 a.m. CT at Lubbock Country Club. Tech is slated to play their match against the Wildcats at the McLeod Tennis Center at 3.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans are also encouraged to follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/techmenstennis and @TexasTechMTEN on Twitter and Instagram.
Texas Tech 4, Iowa 3
Doubles
1 - Thomson/Wynn (TTU) def. No. 16 Davies Okonkwo (Iowa): 6-4
2 - Valiev/Cobb (TTU) vs. Allaf/Snezhko (Iowa): 5-5
3 - Collier/Vittar (TTU) def. Clegg/Tyler (Iowa): 6-3
Singles
1 - No. 60 Kareem Allaf (Iowa) def. Parker Wynn (TTU): 6-4, 7-6(3)
2 - No. 69 Ilgiz Valiev (TTU) def. Oliver Okonkwo (Iowa): 7-6(6), 6-3
3 - Joe Tyler (Iowa) def. No. 114 Reed Collier (TTU): 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
4 - Will Davies (Iowa) def. Francisco Vittar (TTU): 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(9)
5 - Franco Ribero (TTU) def. Jason Kerst (Iowa): 7-5, 4-6, 7-5
6 - Bjorn Thomson (TTU) def. Matt Clegg (Iowa): 6-3, 6-4
?? RED RAIDERS WIN! ??
— Texas Tech Men's Tennis (@TexasTechMTEN) January 17, 2020
Franco Ribero pulls through in the third set to secure the first victory for Tech in 2020!!
??#WreckEm?? pic.twitter.com/jAzRozpPes
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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/ Men's Tennis
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/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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