BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The opening match of Summit League play for the Illinois State men's tennis team was a thrilling one, as the Redbirds fought back after losing the doubles point to win the match 4-3 over Omaha on Friday at the Evergreen Racquet Club.
"What a match today. I knew it would be a battle and that it could go either way, but this was one of those matches that make our sport so special," ISU head coach Mark Klysner said. "Losing the doubles point after having three match points was heartbreaking, but what a credit to the guys for stepping up in singles and grabbing enough matches to get the win. Such a huge way to start the conference season."
As the match started, Omaha took the early advantage in doubles play by picking up a win at No. 3. A 7-6 [7-5] tiebreaker win by Tom Bevan and Arvid Hjalte at the No. 2 spot would then knot things up, leaving the decision on the doubles point to court No. 1. That match also went to a tiebreaker, with the Mavericks coming out on top to win the doubles point.Â
A quick 6-1, 6-1 win on court No. 6 by Tomas Valencia tied the match at 1-1 as the match moved into singles action. Hjalte then defeated Mikhail Korkunov by a score of 6-2, 6-4 at the No. 2 spot to give the Redbirds a 2-1 advantage, before Omaha picked up a victory at the No. 5 spot to tie the match at 2-2.
Nam Pham then picked up a big 6-2, 6-4 victory at the No. 1 spot over Ryoma Mishiro to give the Redbirds back the lead at 3-2 before Adrian Dibildox earned a 6-3, 7-5 win at the No. 3 spot over Quintan Van Wijk to clinch the match for ISU. The Mavericks would win at the No. 4 spot in a three-setter to bring the score to its final at 4-3.
Illinois State will travel to Chicago on Saturday for the first of two matches in the Windy City over the next two days. The Redbirds will first take on Chicago State at 4 p.m. tomorrow, before ending the weekend on Sunday for a match against UIC.
FINAL SCORE: Illinois State (4), Omaha (3)
Doubles:Â
No. 1 Mikhail Korkunov/Bryan Kuntz (OMA) def. Emiliano Gonzalez/Tin Ostro (ILS) 7-6 [9-7]
No. 2 Tom Bevan/Arvid Hjalte (ILS) def. Ryoma Mishiro and Quintan Van Wijk (OMA) 7-6 [7-5]
No. 3 Mikel Garmendia/Ethan Gaubert (OMA) def. Caden Scarlett/Tomas Valencia (ILS) 6-1
Singles:
No. 1 Nam Pham (ILS) def. Ryoma Mishiro (OMA) 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 Arvid Hjalte (ILS) def. Mikhail Korkunov (OMA) 6-2, 6-4
No. 3 Adrian Dibildox (ILS) def. Quintan Van Wijk (OMA) 6-3, 7-5
No. 4 Bryan Kuntz (OMA) def. Emiliano Gonzalez (ILS) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
No. 5 Ethan Gaubert (OMA) def. Tin Ostro (ILS) 6-1, 6-2
No. 6 Tomas Valencia (ILS) def. Mikel Garmendia (OMA) 6-1, 6-1
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