Freshman Costin Paval clinched the match, 4-3, for 19th-ranked Oklahoma over No. 31 Tulsa.
April 1, 2010
TULSA, Okla. – The 19th-ranked Oklahoma men’s tennis squad defeated No. 31 Tulsa on the road Thursday, 4-3, at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
“We fought well as a team today,” OU head coach John Roddick said. “Tulsa is a very good team and we were fortunate to get a win today.”
With the win, Oklahoma (13-4, 0-2 Big 12) holds a 29-18 advantage over the Hurricane (13-6) and ended a three-match losing streak.
In doubles action, Oklahoma jumped on the Hurricane early taking the, 1-0, lead after claiming wins at the No. 1 and 2 positions.
Junior Ionut Beleleu teamed with junior David Pultr at the No. 2 doubles position to route TU’s Marko Ballock and Alastair Barnes, 8-1.
OU’s 47th-ranked duo comprised of senior Andrei Daescu and freshman Costin Paval took down TU’s 30th-ranked tandem of Ashley Watling and Philip Stephens, 8-5.
“We played very good doubles at all three spots and that turned out to be the difference,” said Roddick.
In singles action, the Sooners went ahead 2-0 after freshman Lawrence Formentera quickly downed TU’s Ballock in straight sets, 6-0, 7-6. Formentera has won nine of his last 12 matches and is 13-4 on the year.
Pultr gave Oklahoma a 3-0 advantage after he trounced Tulsa’s Barnes at the No. 4 spot, 7-6, 6-3.
The Hurricane secured its first point of the match after Grant Ive defeated sophomore George Chanturia at the No. 6 spot.
OU clinched the match at the No. 3 position where 64th-ranked Paval defeated TU’s Stephens in identical sets, 7-5.
Watling (No. 50) gave TU its second point of the afternoon after he dropped 54th-ranked Beleleu, 7-6, 7-5.
21st-ranked Daescu and No. 55 Marcelo Arevalo closed out dual action in a heated battle at the No. 1 spot. Daescu dropped the first set, 7-6, but rallied to take the second set, 7-5. However, Daescu lost the super tiebreaker set after double faulting, giving Arevalo the 10-7 victory.
“We played well at spots in singles and played with great intensity at every position,” said Roddick.
The Sooners take a six-day hiatus before returning to Big 12 action at No. 49 Oklahoma State Wednesday, April 7, at 2 p.m. Oklahoma defeated the Cowboys earlier in the year, 4-3.
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No. 19 Oklahoma 4, No. 31 Tulsa 3
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Singles
1. #55 Marcelo Arevalo (TLS) def. #23 Andrei Daescu (OU), 7-6, 5-7, 1-0 (10-7)
2. #50 Ashley Watling (TLS) def. #54 Ionut Beleleu (OU), 7-6, 7-5
3. #64 Costin Paval (OU) def. Philip Stephens (TLS), 7-5, 7-5
4. David Pultr (OU) def. Alastair Barnes (TLS), 7-6, 6-3
5. Lawrence Formentera (OU) def. Marko Ballok (TLS), 6-0, 7-6
6. Grant Ive (TLS) def. George Chanturia (OU), 7-5, 6-3
Order of finish: 5, 4, 6, 3, 2, 1
Doubles
1. #47 Daescu/Paval (OU) def. #30 Stephens/Watling (TLS), 8-5
2. Beleleu/Pultr (OU) def. Ballok/Barnes (TLS), 8-1
3. Arevalo/Ive (TLS) def. Boswell/Formentera (OU), 8-7
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
