Jan. 29, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 12 University of Kentucky men’s tennis team took care of business in singles action, winning all four matches that ended with a decision, to defeat No. 42 Boise State 4-1 in the opening round of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Kick-off Weekend at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex on Saturday.
Kentucky (5-0) now advances to face No. 22 Wake Forest on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET for a spot in the National Indoor Championships in Seattle, Wash., Feb. 18-21. Wake Forest (1-0) advanced past the opening round with a 4-0 win against No. 30 Wisconsin (2-1). Boise State and Wisconsin will face each other in a consolation match Sunday at 10 a.m. ET. Live scores from each match will be available at UKathletics.com.
“I thought this was a great win for us,” said Dennis Emery, who is in his 29th season as the Wildcats head coach. “Boise State is a team that has a lot of fight in them and when you drop the doubles point against a team like that it can give them a lot of momentum. Boise State is a reflection of their head coach, Greg Patton, who really is one of the most respected coaches in our profession. I was happy that our guys were able to settle in and perform well in singles.”
After losing the doubles point, Kentucky started off strong in singles action, winning the first set on three of the four courts. Junior Eric Quigley, ranked second in the nation, started the scoring for Kentucky by posting a straight-sets victory over No. 62 Damian Hume of Boise State 6-3, 6-4 to tie the match 1-1. Senior Brad Cox then gave UK a 2-1 lead that it would not relinquish, winning 6-4, 7-5 at No. 3 singles against Scott Sears.
With Junior Alex Musialek in a battle at No. 2 singles, Kentucky sophomore Anthony Rossi stepped up for the second straight match. After falling 6-3 in the first set, Rossi went up a break in the second set and held on to win 6-4 and force a third set. In the third set, the native of Marseille, France dominated his opponent, Jeff Mullen of Boise State, claiming a 6-0 win to take the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.
Musialek would then seal Kentucky’s victory by pulling out a straight-sets win at No. 2 singles over No. 85 Filipp Pogotskin 7-5, 6-4. The native of Dax, France started with a 7-5 win in the first set that went back and forth. In the second set, Musialek found himself down 4-3 before holding serve to tie the set at four and then braking serve to take a 5-4 lead. The junior won the match by holding serve to win the set 6-4.
Play at No. 5 and No. 6 singles was abandoned due to Kentucky claiming the 4-1 victory. The Wildcats led on both courts with senior Alberto Gonzalez holding a 3-2 lead at No. 5 singles over Andrew Bettles, while UK freshman Grant Roberts led Nathan Serek 4-2 at No. 6 singles.
The Wildcats dropped the doubles point before singles action, but got a win at No. 3 doubles behind excellent play from Gonzalez and freshman Tom Jomby, who was seeing the first collegiate action of his career. Gonzalez and Jomby were the first to finish in doubles, gathering an 8-4 win over Bettles and Pogotskin of Boise State. The Broncos won the doubles point at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles when Hume and Sears defeated Quigley and Cox 8-6, and Mullen and Serek took down Musialek and Rossi 8-6.
UK’s match with No. 22 Wake Forest on Sunday will be familiar for both teams. The Wildcats and Demon Deacons have faced off in big matches the past two years, with both teams claiming a win. In 2009, Wake Forest spoiled Kentucky’s hopes of an appearance in the NCAA Championships Sweet 16 by taking down Kentucky in the second round of the tournament in Lexington. Last season, UK repaid the favor by beating Wake Forest 4-3 in Lexington to earn a spot in the National Indoors round of 16.
“We are pleased with this win today but we know that tomorrow we are going to have to play one of our best matches of the year to beat a very good Wake Forest team,” Emery said. “We have faced this team several times over the past few years and it is always a dog fight and a close match. Our team expects it to be the same way tomorrow.”
Admission to the event is free and parking is available in parking structure seven, which is located right next to the Bonne Tennis Complex. The Bonne Tennis Complex is located at the corner for Cooper Drive and Sports Center Drive across from Commonwealth Stadium.
Agate
No. 12 Kentucky 4, No. 42 Boise State 1
Lexington, Ky. – Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex
Singles
#1 – No. 2 Eric Quigley (UK) def. No. 62 Damian Hume (BS) 6-3, 6-4
#2 – No. 39 Alex Musialek (UK) def. No. 85 Filipp Pogotskin 7-5, 6-4
#3 – Brad Cox (UK) def. Scott Sears (BS) 6-4, 7-5
#4 – Anthony Rossi (UK) def. Jeff Mullen (BS) 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
#5 – No. 72 Alberto Gonzalez (UK) vs. Andrew Bettles 3-2 DNF
#6 – Grant Roberts (UK) vs. Nathan Serek (BS) 4-2
Doubles
#1 – Damian Hume/Scott Sears (BS) def. Eric Quigley/Brad Cox (UK) 8-6
#2 – Jeff Mullen/Nathan Serek (BS) def. Alex Musialek/Anthony Rossi (UK) 8-6
#3 – Alberto Gonzalez/Tom Jomby (UK) def. Andrew Bettles/Filipp Pogotskin (BS) 8-4
Order of Finish:
Singles – 1, 3, 4, 2*
Doubles – 3, 1, 2*
Agate
No. 22 Wake Forest 4, No. 30 Wisconsin 0
Lexington, Ky. – Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex
Singles
#1 – Jonathan Wolff (WF) vs. Marek Michalicka (Wisc.) 7-5, 6-7 (1), DNF
#2 – No. 100 Danny Kreyman (WF) def. Billy Bertha (Wisc.) 6-2, 6-4
#3 – No. 109 Iain Atkinson (WF) def. Ricardo Martin (Wisc.) 7-5, 7-6 (2)
#4 – David Hopkins (WF) def. Petr Satral (Wisc.) 6-3, 6-1
#5 – Zach Leslie (WF) led Alex Robles 6-1, 2-1, DNF
#6 – Rod Carey (Wisc.) vs. Amogh Prabhakar (WF) 4-4, DNF
Doubles
#1 – Marek Michalicka/Billy Bertha (Wisc.) def. Iain Atkinson/Tripper Carleton (WF) 9-8 (0)
#2 – Jonathan Wolff/Danny Kreyman (WF) def. Rod Carey/Ricardo Martin (Wisc.) 9-8 (4)
#3 – David Hopkins/Zach Leslie (WF) def. Petr Satral/Alex Teppert (Wisc.) 8-3
Order of Finish:
Singles – 2, 4, 3*
Doubles – 1, 3, 2*
