Georgia Box Score / Alabama Box Score
ATHENS, Ga. - The men's tennis team arrived in Athens, Georgia, looking to upset one of the top teams in the country. The Boilermakers bolstered the No. 4 doubles team in the nation, a highly respected early enrollee and an undefeated record. The Bulldogs, however, had other plans.
The No. 5 team in the country hosted Purdue on Friday during the opening round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend - a national event, featuring 60 schools and 15 venues. The Bulldogs were already favored going into the match and their work was lessened when head coach Pawel Gajdzik submitted the team's lineup. No. 4 Gergely Madarasz and Ricky Medinilla would not be playing together in hopes that they could strengthen the play of two doubles pairings as opposed to competing as a unit.
While the approach initially challenged Georgia's talented roster, Purdue ultimately was outmatched. Benjamin Ugarte and Stephan Koenigsfest - the Boilermaker's newest addition - were first defeated 6-4 in the third position. Meanwhile on court one, Medinilla and teammate Dominik Sochurek tightly battled the No. 54 pairing in the nation, forcing a tiebreak at six all. The tandem was unable even the score, however, losing 7-6 (7-3); Athell Bennett and Madarasz's match was then abandoned.
With Georgia leading 1-0 heading into the break, Purdue needed four singles victories to claim its intened upset.
Koenigsfest's fresh talents positioned the team for a comeback early, winning 6-2, 6-4 against Oosterbaan on court four. No. 49 Madarasz was unable to keep up with No. 22 Montgomery though, losing his match 6-3, 6-2 next. No. 70 Ugarte also struggled against No. 124 Ponwith, losing 7-6 (7-1), 6-3.
Down 3-1, the Boilermakers had to win the remaining three matches against the Bulldogs to leave with a victory. No. 56 Zielinski quickly ended that possibility though, beating Bennett 6-2, 6-1.
Georgia went on to win the championship Sunday, shutting out Washington 4-0.
Prior to that, Purdue competed against Alabama in the consolation match Saturday. The Crimson Tide lost to the Huskies 4-2 Friday morning.
The Boilermakers again fell behind early, giving up the doubles point when Bennett and Madarsz lost the third match 7-5.
In singles, Purdue stormed back to take a 2-1 lead with wins by Koenigsfest and Ugarte - each in straight sets. Alabama evened the score when Madarasz slipped to No. 63 Osama 7-5, 6-3. The teams then traded points, placing the decision on court five, which featured Bennett and the Tide's Ortiz.
Ortiz took the first set 6-2, but Bennett won the second 6-4. At five all in the third, Ortiz broke Bennett and put Alabama one game away from winning the match. At 15-0, the Purdue freshman stole the next two points, but they'd be the last he earned in the match. Ortiz sent one down the line that was out of Bennett's reach, followed by a controversial deep ball that the umpired called in. Now at 40-30, the two rallied before Bennett hit a return into the net, giving the game, set and match to Alabama.
Purdue continues its non-conference schedule Friday, traveling to Louisville for a 6 p.m. match against the Cardinals.
