April 4, 2014
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The No. 33 Purdue men's tennis team won its fifth straight match Friday as the Boilermakers cruised past Iowa, 5-2, at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. The win lifted Purdue's record to 12-3, 4-1 Big Ten, while the loss, the fourth consecutive in the all-time series for the Hawkeyes, brought their record to 9-8, 1-4 Big Ten.
For the 10th time this season, the Boilermakers brought in the doubles point, which has been a key to their success this season. They are 11-1 when taking the best of three series and have not lost a Big Ten dual match when they earn the doubles point.
Purdue's Ricky Medinilla and Szymon Tatarczyk kept their spotless record intact as they defeated Brian Alden and Michael Swank, 8-6, to give the Boilermakers the early edge in the doubles battle. The freshman/senior duo shifted back into the No. 1 role for the first time since Feb. 15. Medinilla and Tatarczyk are 6-0 overall and 2-0 when playing in the top spot.
Mark Kovacs and Mateus Silva followed in suit with an 8-7 (7-5) win over Chase Tomlins and Joey White at No. 3. The victory lifted their record to 6-3 with all but one of their matches coming in the No. 3 position.
Trailing 1-0 as play moved to singles competition, Iowa evened the score at 1-1 with Matt Hagan's straight-set victory over Aaron Dujovne at the No. 4 spot. The 6-0, 6-1 loss was just the second of the season for the senior, who now owns a record of 9-2. The reliable play of Silva at No. 6 was once again true as the sophomore won his 10th match in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4, over Swank. Silva has won 10 in a row and improved to 12-1 with the win.
Dominic Patrick looked to give the Hawkeyes a push with a 6-4, 6-3, win at No. 5 over Purdue's Diego Acosta. With the team score deadlocked at 2-2, Medinilla separated the Boilermakers. The Mexico City, Mexico, native won his fourth straight match at No. 2, 7-5, 6-2, over Alden, to put Purdue ahead 3-2.
Tatarczyk was credited with the dual-clinching singles victory, a 6-4, 6-2 decision of Jonas Dierckx at No. 1. Kovacs pushed his record to 11-3 while winning his fifth straight match at No. 3. The senior from Budapest, Hungary, topped Iowa's Juan Esenssoro by scores of 7-5, 6-4 to give the Boilermakers its final point.
The Purdue men's tennis team will travel to Lincoln, Neb., to take on the 66th-ranked Huskers Sunday. Action from the Nebraska Tennis Center is slated for a 1 p.m. ET start.
No. 33 Purdue 5, Iowa 2 | Box Score
Doubles
1: Ricky Medinilla/Szymon Tatarczyk (Purdue) def. Brian Alden/Michael Swank (Iowa), 8-6
2: Diego Acosta/Aaron Dujovne (Purdue) vs. Matt Hagan/Jonas Dierckx (Iowa), 7-7 DNF
3: Mark Kovacs/Mateus Silva (Purdue) def. Chase Tomlins/Joey White (Iowa), 8-7 (7-5)
Singles
1: Szymon Tatarczyk (Purdue) def. Jonas Dierckx (Iowa), 6-4, 6-2
2: Ricky Medinilla (Purdue) def. Brian Alden (Iowa), 7-5, 6-2
3: Mark Kovacs (Purdue) def. Juan Esenssoro (Iowa), 7-5, 6-4
4: Matt Hagan (Iowa) def. Aaron Dujovne (Purdue), 6-0, 6-1
5: Dominic Patrick (Iowa) def. Diego Acosta (Purdue), 6-4, 6-3
6: Mateus Silva (Purdue) def. Michael Swank (Iowa), 6-0, 6-4