The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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Texas A&M
No. 15 Men's Tennis tops Texas A&M, 4-2, reaches Big 12 finals
04.25.2009 | Men's Tennis
April 25, 2009
NORMAN, Okla. -- Texas captured the doubles point and collected singles wins from sophomore Kellen Damico, junior Dimitar Kutrovsky and senior Jonah Kane-West, as the third-seeded Longhorns (19-5) toppled second-seeded Texas A&M by a 4-2 count Saturday in the semifinals of the 2009 Big 12 Championships.
Texas advances to the Big 12 finals for a fourth consecutive season and will meet Baylor on Sunday at 1 p.m. Central.
The Horns and Aggies engaged in a lengthy one-hour doubles session that went the way of the Longhorns. At second doubles, UT juniors Dimitar Kutrovsky and Josh Zavala exchanged service breaks early on against the Aggies' Alexey Grigorov and Colin Hoover. Trailing 6-5, Texas held service before registering a timely service break to take a 7-6 lead. Zavala served out the final game at love to give Texas an 8-6 win at the second slot.
At third doubles, UT senior Miguel Reyes Varela and junior Olivier Sajous held a 7-4 lead over A&M's Marcus Lunt and Wil Spencer, but the Aggies held serve and broke Texas' service in the next game to pull within 7-6. But, Texas managed one final service break to take the match, 8-6 and claim the doubles point for the Longhorns.
The remaining match at first doubles featuring Texas sophomores Ed Corrie and Kellen Damico against Texas A&M's Conor Pollock and Austin Krajicek became a tight battle, but the match was suspended when Texas clinched the doubles point. The Aggies held a 7-6 lead, but Texas broke Texas A&M at love in the following game to even the match at seven. Corrie served out the following game to give UT an 8-7 when the match was suspended.
Texas A&M got on the board at second singles, where Krajicek posted a 6-3, 6-3 win over UT's Corrie. Texas regained the lead at third singles, where Damico tallied a 7-5, 6-4 win over A&M's Spencer. Texas pushed its lead to 3-1 when Kutrovsky added a 6-4, 7-6 (3) win over Pollock at first singles. Pollock led 6-5 in the second set, but Kutrovsky evened the set to force a tiebreaker. Tied at two apiece, Kutrovsky took the next four points to assume a 6-2 lead. Pollock thwarted one match point, but Kutrovsky converted on the next to clinch his match.
Texas' Sajous saved match points against A&M's Grigorov at fourth singles and managed to push the second set into a tiebreaker. Trailing 6-2, Sajous pulled within 6-4, but Grigorov converted the next point to claim his match and slice the Texas lead to 3-2.
UT's Kane-West took the first set off of A&M's Hoover at sixth singles, 6-3, but found himself in a 4-0 hole in set two. Kane-West and Hoover each held serve from there, as the set progressed into a tiebreaker. Tied at two apiece, Kane-West took the next four points to take a commanding 6-2 lead. Kane-West sent a Hoover serve beyond the baseline on the next point, but an errant Hoover return on the ensuing point gave Kane-West the victory and lifted Texas to a 4-2 win over Texas A&M.
Texas 4, Texas A&M 2
Doubles - Order of Finish: 2, 3
1 Corrie/Damico (UT) vs. Krajicek/Pollock (TAMU) - 8-7, susp.
2 Kutrovsky/Zavala (UT) def. Grigorov/Hoover (TAMU) - 8-6
3 Reyes Varela/Sajous (UT) def. Lunt/Spencer (TAMU) - 8-6
Singles - Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1, 4, 6
1 Dimitar Kutrovsky (UT) def. Conor Pollock (TAMU) - 6-4, 7-6 (3)
2 Austin Krajicek (TAMU) def. Ed Corrie (UT) - 6-3, 6-3
3 Kellen Damico (UT) def. Wil Spencer (TAMU) - 7-5, 6-4
4 Alexey Grigorov (TAMU) def. Olivier Sajous (UT) - 6-2, 7-6 (4)
5 Josh Zavala (UT) vs. Marcus Lunt (TAMU) - 7-5, 4-6, susp.
6 Jonah Kane-West (UT) def. Colin Hoover (TAMU) - 6-3, 7-6 (3)
