TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Purdue men's tennis team opened the fall campaign with opening day action at the SEC-Big Ten Challenge. The Boilermakers split a pair of doubles matches and four singles contests.
The trio of Purdue victories provided half of the points on the day for the Big Ten, which trailed the SEC 12-6 after the opening matches.
In doubles, the young pairing of Stefan Simeunovic and Mujtaba Ali-Khan steamrolled to a 6-1 season-opening victory over Isac Stromberg and Gordon Whitwell from Ole Miss.
Singles action saw Aleksa Krivokapic and Simeunovic college a pair of wins in straight sets. Krivokapic outlasted Auburn's Will Nolan in two sets, 7-6(7), 6-4, while Simeunovic took 12 of 13 games as he cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Gordon Whitewell from Ole Miss.
Saturday will see the Boilermakers play two rounds of doubles and one of singles. In the first round of doubles play will face tandems from Alabama. Krivokapic and Simeunovic will take on Filip Planinsek and Matias Ponce De Leon, and Ali-Khan and Daniel Labrador will face Yair Sarouk and Andrii Zimnokh.
Second round action will see Labrador and Simeunovic square off with John Hallquist Lithen and Noah Schlagenhauf, as Ali-Khan and Labrador play Lukas Engelhardt and Nikola Slavic from Ole Miss.
Purdue will face an Ole Miss quartet in singles play. Labrador will face Hallquist Lithen. Krivokapic will play Slavic. Simeunovic will battle Schlagenhauf, and Ali-Khan will duel Engelhardt.
DOUBLES
Mujtaba Ali-Khan/Stefan Simeunovic (Purdue) def. Isac Strömberg/Gordon Whitwell (Ole Miss) - 6-1
Raul Dobai/Will Nolan (Auburn) def. Daniel Labrador/Aleksa Krivokapic (Purdue) - 6-4
SINGLES
Isac Strömberg (Ole Miss) def. Mujtaba Ali-Khan (Purdue) - 6-2, 6-2
Stefan Simeunovic (Purdue) def. Gordon Whitwell (Ole Miss) - 6-0, 6-1
Raul Dobai (Auburn) def. Daniel Labrador (Purdue) - 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-1
Aleksa Krivokapic (Purdue) def. Will Nolan (Auburn) - 7-6 (7), 6-4