CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State
University men's tennis team won four singles matches to pick up a 4-3 win at
Southern Illinois, Friday.
The clincher came from freshman Aleksas Tverijonas at No. 5 singles. Tverijonas battled through a first-set tiebreaker
and never lost his momentum, winning the deciding set 6-2. Another freshman
came up big as well, with Dimitar Ristovski winning in three sets at No. 3
singles.
"Our freshmen are really starting to buy in
to what we're doing," head coach Malik Tabet said. "Aleksas and Dimitar really
fought the match. They play smart and stuck to their game plans. That's a sign
that this team is maturing and adjusting. We need more of this."
In typical fashion, the Govs won the top two
singles matches as Jasmin Ademovic and Sean Bailey each remained unbeaten at
Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. Bailey and Ristovski also picked up a win a No. 1
doubles. The Govs had a chance to win their season's first doubles point, but
John Storie and Tverijonas couldn't lock up a
match point at No. 3.
The Govs return to action with a 10 a.m.,
Sunday match at ITA-ranked No. 75 Georgia State. The Bulldogs defeated the
Govs, 5-2, last season in Clarksville. The Bulldogs are 5-1 this season, with
their only loss coming to South Carolina.
"Georgia State is always a good team," Tabet
said. "We're not expecting this road trip to get any easier. With Dimitar
playing well to compliment with Jasmin and Sean have done, I feel like we're
getting closer. We still have a lot of work to do."
Austin Peay 4, Southern Illinois 3
Singles competition
1. ADEMOVIC, Jasmin (APSU) def. Badr Cherradi
(SIU) 7-5, 6-4
2. BAILEY, Sean (APSU) def. Stanislas Rodier
(SIU) 6-2, 6-4
3. RISTOVSKI, Dimitar (APSU) def. Brandon
Florez (SIU) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
4. Martijn Admiraal (SIU) def. SEFFRIN, Iago
(APSU) 6-2, 6-4
5. TVERIJONAS, Aleksas (APSU) def. Rafael
Cuadrillero (SIU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
6. Orhan Spahic (SIU) def. STORIE, John
(APSU) 4-6, 7-6, 10-4
Doubles competition
1. BAILEY, Sean/RISTOVSKI, Dimitar (APSU)
def. Martijn Admiraal/Brandon Florez (SIU) 8-3
2. Badr Cherradi/Stanislas Rodier (SIU) def.
ADEMOVIC, Jasmin/SEFFRIN, Iago (APSU) 8-3
3. Szymon Opieczonek/Orhan Spahic (SIU) def.
STORIE, John/TVERIJONAS, Aleksas (APSU) 9-7
-AP-
