ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Purdue men's tennis team upset Northwestern 4-3 in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday.
Franz Luna's comeback in the third set propelled the 10th-seeded Boilermakers over the seventh-seeded Wildcats and into into the quarterfinals. With the match deadlocked at 3-apiece, Luna took down Trice Pickens 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
Starting off doubles on a high note, Stephan Koenigsfest and Athell Bennett defeated Chris Ephron and Dominik Stary at the No. 1 spot 6-2. Mateo Julio and Maksymilian Raupuk took down Antonioni Fasano and Pickens 6-4, securing the first point of the match.
Northwestern took the next three points with three straight singles victories before Koenigsfest regained the Boilermaker momentum with a 7-6(4), 6-2 victory over Simen Bratholm.
Bennett defeated Stary at the No. 1 position 7-5, 6-4 to tie the match and set the stage for Luna's heroics.
With the win, Purdue avenged a 5-2 regular-season loss to Northwestern.
Franz Luna's comeback in the third set propelled the 10th-seeded Boilermakers over the seventh-seeded Wildcats and into into the quarterfinals. With the match deadlocked at 3-apiece, Luna took down Trice Pickens 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
Starting off doubles on a high note, Stephan Koenigsfest and Athell Bennett defeated Chris Ephron and Dominik Stary at the No. 1 spot 6-2. Mateo Julio and Maksymilian Raupuk took down Antonioni Fasano and Pickens 6-4, securing the first point of the match.
Northwestern took the next three points with three straight singles victories before Koenigsfest regained the Boilermaker momentum with a 7-6(4), 6-2 victory over Simen Bratholm.
Bennett defeated Stary at the No. 1 position 7-5, 6-4 to tie the match and set the stage for Luna's heroics.
With the win, Purdue avenged a 5-2 regular-season loss to Northwestern.
The Boilermakers (10-13) will take on second-seeded and 15th-ranked Illinois on Friday at 2 p.m. ET in the quarterfinals.