TAMPA -- The University of South Florida men's tennis returned home Thursday afternoon to face their second consecutive Southeastern Conference foe as the Bulls welcomed Auburn to the USF Varsity Tennis Courts. The Bulls battled but failed to knock off the 28th-ranked Tigers as they dropped the dual by a score of 4-1.
The Bulls put themselves in a tough spot by dropping the doubles point. Auburn took care of the Bulls No. 1 and 3 doubles pairings to take the early 1-0 lead. The Bulls No. 2 pairing of Romain Deridder and Wael Kilani held a 7-6 advantage but the match went unfinished when the point was determined.
Entering singles competition, the Bulls would put themselves in even more trouble by falling behind 3-0. Despite being in a bit of hot water, the Bulls got on the board as senior Mahmoud Hamed wouwon the Bulls lone match of the day. Hamed registered a straight set victory from the No. 3 position by defeating Lukas Marsoun, 6-2, 6-4. Hamed is now 5-3 on the season in dual matches and 7-3 overall.
Facing a 3-1 deficit, the Bulls were still clinging to life as sophomore Lucas Jovita forced a third set after dropping the first set 7-6 to Alexey Tsyrenov. Jovita came out on fire in the second set and took a 5-1 than held a Tsyrenov surge to win 6-3.
USF's Romain Deridder on court No. 4 looked to have his match in hand as the sophomore from France won the first set 7-6, and held a 4-3 advantage in the second set over Milan Krnjetin.
However, it would all be for not as sophomore Jamal Adderley suffered a heart-wrenching defeat in the No. 5 position to give Auburn the fourth and dual-clinching point. Adderley started out strong by taking the first set, 6-4, but then dropped the second, 6-2. Adderley held a 3-2 in the third but ultimately lost, 6-4.
Both Jovita and Deridder's matches went down officially as unfinished matches, but both held leads in their matches.
With their record now at 4-4 on the season, the Bulls will get on I-4 and head over to Orlando to partake in the 2009 edition of the “Battle of I-4” whens they take on Central Florida on Saturday afternoon. First serve is set for 1 p.m. After the trip to Orlando, the Bulls will be home for four straight matches starting with Radford on March 8, followed by St. John's on March 12, then Miami the following day. The Bulls end the home stand with a tilt against Florida Atlantic on March 15. After the homestand, the Bulls will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for a battle with the Tiger's of Louisiana State University.
Auburn 4, USF 1
February 26, 2009
USF Varsity Tennis Courts ? Tampa, Fla.
Doubles
No. 1 Alexey Tsyrenov/ Tim Puetz def. (54) Jovita/Estrada (USF), 8-4
No. 2 Lukos Margown/Alex Stamcheu vs. Kilani/Deridder (USF), 7-6. Unf
No. 3 Milow Krujetin/ Michel Montiero def. Hamed/Oljaca (USF), 9-8(7-4)
FInish Order: 3, 1,
Singles
No. 1 (53) Lucas Jovita (USF) vs. Tsyremov 6-7, 6-3 unf.
No. 2 Tim Puetz def. Wael Kilani (USF), 6-4, 6-4
No. 3 Mahmoud Hamed (USF) def. Marsoun , 6-2, 6-4
No. 4 Romain Deridder (USF)vs. Krnjetin, 7-6, 4-3, unf
No. 5 Stamchew def. Jamal Adderley (USF), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
No. 6 Alex Petropoulos def. Thomas Estrada (USF), 6-2,6-2
Finish Order - 6, 2, 3, 5
