Clarksville, TN – After trailing 3-1 midway through singles play, freshman Tom Bolton capped off an arduous comeback for Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s tennis team, as the Governors defeated North Alabama 4-3, Saturday, at the Governors Tennis Courts.
The Govs (4-5) claimed the match’s first point after winning a pair of convincing matches on their top doubles lines.
With the doubles point already in hand, Oliver Andersson and Hogan Stoker’s match went unfinished at 3-3 from the No. 3 position.
North Alabama answered quickly in singles. The Lions claimed their first point of the afternoon, defeating Stoker 6-0, 6-1 from the No. 6 position and took the lead after Becchis fell 6-1, 6-2 from the No. 5 line.
After falling in a narrow tiebreaker in his first set, Schlossmann lost his second set, putting North Alabama one point away from the victory.
Needing to win all three remaining matches, Damberg won his team-best fourth match of the season from the No. 3 position, defeating UNA’s Chris Zhang in straight sets to cut into the Lions’ lead.
On the No. 2 singles court, Andersson fell, 6-2, in his first set before rallying in to defeat UNA’s Carlos Materredona in an extended tiebreaker. Andersson completed his comeback, winning his third set 6-4.
Bolton won a narrow first set, 7-5, before dropping the penultimate set, 6-4. The Wellington, New Zealand native controlled the pace of the third set and won it, 6-2, after Guilherme Diniz’s last shot sailed out of bounds for North Alabama.
The Governors earn their fourth and final nonconference victory of the season and look to continue their momentum heading into Ohio Valley Conference action next weekend.
Results vs. North Alabama
Doubles
- Frederic Schlossmann / Anton Damberg (APSU), Carlos Materredona Valor / Chris Zhang (UNA), 6-3
- Giovanni Becchis / Tom Bolton (APSU) def. Guilherme Diniz / Jamie Bixby (UNA), 6-3
- Oliver Andersson / Hogan Stoker (APSU), Fernando Peres Rodenas Herrera / Nazar Fedoryshyn (UNA), Unfinished at 4-4
Order of Finish: 1, 2*
Singles
- Fernando Perez Rodenas Herrera (UNA) def. Frederic Schlossmann (APSU), 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
- Oliver Andersson (APSU) def. Carlos Materredona (UNA) 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4
- Anton Damberg (APSU) def. Chris Zhang (UNA), 6-2, 6-4
- Tom Bolton (APSU) def. Guilherme Diniz (UNA), 7-5, 4-6, 6-2
- Nazar Fedoyshyn (UNA) def. Giovanni Becchis (APSU), 6-1, 6-2
- Jamie Bixby (UNA) def. Hogan Stoker (APSU), 6-0, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 1, 3, 2, 4*
APSU Coach’s Corner
Austin Peay head coach Ross Brown
On the team when trailing 3-1… “When things have not gone our way, it has effected what goes on. We have been working on keeping a present focus, do the best we can and project a strong body language whether something good or bad happens. Today, the team had great body language throughout the entire match. There were no guarantees in anything, but I believe something like each player’s body language helped lead to this win.”
On the win… ” I am very pleased with today. Not just because of the win, but because the preaching and telling the guys ‘this is the direction we want to go in,’ is starting to pay off. The win is a good lesson in reinforcing what we need to do mentally and the image we need to project when we play.”
Follow the APSU Govs
For news and updates ahead of the Govs’ OVC opener against Belmont, follow the men’s tennis team on Twitter (@GovsMTN), Instagram (@GovsTennis), and Facebook (Austin Peay Tennis).
Next Up For APSU Men’s Tennis
The Austin Peay State University men’s tennis team kicks off OVC play against the reigning OVC Champion Belmont Bruins on April 2nd, at the Belmont Tennis Complex in Nashville. The match begins at 3:00pm.
