Duquesne
Bulls Stage Another Comeback Win
2/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
BUFFALO, NY - The dramatic early stretch of the dual season continued Saturday for the 71st-ranked Buffalo men's tennis, as it fought back again from a late deficit to take a 4-3 decision over Duquesne at the Miller Tennis Center. This time, the team turned to sophomore Akhil Mehta, who won in straight sets at fifth singles to complete the win for UB (4-1).
The team would cruise through doubles play for what would again be a pivotal point, with UB losing just three games over the three doubles matches. With singles play beginning, the Bulls would strike first with a straight-set win at third singles from Damien David, 6-4, 6-2. Duquesne would rally back from the 2-0 hole, though, and won at second, fourth and first singles in quick succession to put the Bulls on the brink with the 3-2 lead.
While the scoreboard would show the Bulls down, the team confidently worked on bringing home the lead, with the confidence coming from its two younger athletes. Freshman Jonathan Hannestad and Mehta would both take their first sets with relative ease, and Hannestad would quickly tie the match up thanks to a 6-2, 6-1 win after overpowering his opponent at sixth singles.
That would leave the match up to Mehta, who went down early in the second set 2-1 before sweeping a critical walk over, breaking his opponents serve to go up 3-2. He would never look back, and won the second set 6-3.
The team soaked up every bit of home-court advantage, and will need it as it now embarks on an ambitious road stretch that will go for the next five weeks. The team will have nine straight matches on the road, and it will start next Saturday, with the team taking on Marist.
Doubles
David/Mehta def. Carpenter/Aleman, 6-1
Arevalillo/Hannestad def. Robinson/Rubin, 6-1
Ionescu/Alvarez def. Slameka/Walshe, 6-1
Singles
Robbie def. Ionescu, 5-6, 6-5, 6-3
Carpenter def. Alvarez, 6-3, 6-5
David def. Aleman, 6-4, 6-2
Robinson def. Arevalillo, 6-3, 2-6, 6-5
Mehta def. Rubin, 6-4, 6-3
Hannestad def. Mekadui, 6-2, 6-1
