Oklahoma State University Athletics
Friday, February 10
Stillwater, Okla.
5:00 P.M.
Oklahoma State University
7
vs
0
Alabama
Cowboys Record Third Shutout of Season
February 10, 2017 | Cowboy Tennis
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State men's tennis team recorded its third shutout of the year, as the 12th-ranked Cowboys knocked off Alabama, 7-0, on Friday at the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center.
The win improves the Cowboys to 6-0 on the year and marks the 10th time in team history that Oklahoma State has been unbeaten through its first six matches. It is also the second time the Cowboys have done so under head coach Jay Udwadia.
"The competitiveness of our team tonight was great," Udwadia said. "The energy has been good in doubles all year and then we got off to the races in singles, winning three matches very quickly. We had some tiebreaks at the end, but it was good to be able to finish them off. Alabama kept fighting and our guys were able to finish off their matches. Overall, it was a very good match for us."
The newly-ranked duo of Lucas Gerch and Jurence Mendoza picked up OSU's first win of doubles play on court two, as the No. 50-ranked tandem dropped Thibault Cancel and Edson Ortiz, 6-0. Friday's win was the sixth of the season for Gerch and Mendoza, which ranks as the second most for an OSU tandem this season.
Julian Cash and Arjun Kadhe, ranked No. 5 in the nation, secured the doubles point for the Cowboys shortly thereafter, as they knocked off Alabama's Mazen Osama and Spencer Richey, 6-3, to pick up their 15th win of the season. The duo has now won 49 matches when partnering together and are unbeaten (5-0) in dual matches this season.
Oklahoma State, holding a 1-0 lead, continued to roll the Crimson Tide in the ensuing singles action.
Jurence Mendoza quickly added a second point for the Cowboys, as he cruised past Alabama's Zhe Zhou on court six, 6-1, 6-1. Mendoza's win was his 11th of the season, which is tied for the most by a Cowboy this year.
Mendoza is unbeaten in dual-match play thus far this spring, winning all five of his contests in straight sets. The junior's success was reflected in this week's ITA Rankings, where he went from unranked to No. 65 - the highest mark of his career.
Mendoza's doubles partner, Lucas Gerch, followed his lead on court five, as the senior ran away from Alexey Nesterov, 6-2, 6-2, to pick up his eighth win of the season. Gerch's triumph in singles play brings his career win total to 70 and leaves him one win shy of tying for seventh place on OSU's all-time singles wins list.
Artur Dubinski ultimately provided the clinching point for Oklahoma State on Friday, as the sophomore picked up his first collegiate singles win, 6-3, 6-3, over Spencer Richey. Dubinski, a native of Minsk, Belarus, joined the Cowboys prior to the ITA Kick-Off Weekend two weeks ago after winning more than 70 matches and capturing one title while competing on the ITF Futures Tour.
"That was a big win for Artur," Udwadia said. "He showed some emotion after he clinched it and you could tell how much it meant to him to get his first singles win."
With the victory secured, the Cowboys looked to close out the remaining matches and preserve their third shutout of the season.
Julian Cash was the first to do so, as the three remaining matches all went to third-set super tiebreaks. Cash won seven of the final nine points in his tiebreak to drop No. 82 Thibault Cancel, 5-7, 6-3, (10-7). Friday's victory marks the fourth time this season that Cash has defeated a ranked opponent and the second time the junior has done so during the dual season.
Lukas Finzelberg was the next Cowboy to extend the OSU lead, as he dropped Alabama's Mazen Osama, 6-4, 7-5, (10-7) on court two. Finzelberg, ranked No. 48 in the nation, now has 11 singles victories on the year, tying him with Mendoza for the team lead.
Arjun Kadhe was the last to wrap up his match, as the Pune, India native came back to win a tight third-set tiebreak from Edson Ortiz, 7-6 (3), 5-7, (10-8). Kadhe won the final four points of the tiebreak to pick up his 10th win of the season, becoming the third Cowboy to reach double digits this season.
Friday's dual against Alabama also saw the Cowboys welcome back legendary head coach James Wadley, who performed the ceremonial coin toss prior to doubles action.
Wadley spent 40 years as the head coach of the OSU men's tennis team, which ranks as the longest tenure for an Oklahoma State head coach, regardless of sport. He won 662 matches, made 17 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and captured 12 conference titles during his time in Stillwater.
"Coach Wadley is Oklahoma State tennis," Udwadia said. "Anytime we can represent him well and do something to honor him, I definitely want to do it. He means a lot to this program."
Udwadia and the Cowboys will wrap up their three-match homestand on Sunday with a doubleheader against No. 2 Wake Forest and UMKC. OSU will take the courts at noon to face the Demon Deacons before squaring off with the Kangaroos in the nightcap at 5 p.m.
No. 12 Oklahoma State 7, Alabama 0
Feb. 10, 2017 | Greenwood Tennis Center | Stillwater, Okla.
Doubles (Order of finish: 2, 1)
C1: No. 5 Cash/Kadhe (OSU) def. Osama/Richey (BAMA), 6-3
C2: No. 50 Gerch/Mendoza (OSU) def. Cancel/Ortiz (BAMA), 6-0
C3: Finzelberg/Dubinski (OSU) vs. Nesterov/Zhou, 4-4, unf.
Singles (Order of finish: 6, 5, 3, 1, 2, 4)
C1: No. 32 Julian Cash (OSU) vs. No. 82 Thibault Cancel (BAMA), 5-7, 6-3, (10-7)
C2: No. 48 Lukas Finzelberg vs. No. 92 Mazen Osama (BAMA), 6-4, 5-7, (10-7)
C3: Artur Dubinski (OSU) vs. Spencer Richey (BAMA), 6-3, 6-3
C4: Arjun Kadhe (OSU) vs. Edson Ortiz (BAMA), 7-6 (3), 3-6, (10-8)
C5: Lucas Gerch (OSU) def. Alexey Nesterov (BAMA), 6-2, 6-2
C6: No. 65 Jurence Mendoza (OSU) def. Zhe Zhou (BAMA), 6-1, 6-1
The win improves the Cowboys to 6-0 on the year and marks the 10th time in team history that Oklahoma State has been unbeaten through its first six matches. It is also the second time the Cowboys have done so under head coach Jay Udwadia.
"The competitiveness of our team tonight was great," Udwadia said. "The energy has been good in doubles all year and then we got off to the races in singles, winning three matches very quickly. We had some tiebreaks at the end, but it was good to be able to finish them off. Alabama kept fighting and our guys were able to finish off their matches. Overall, it was a very good match for us."
The newly-ranked duo of Lucas Gerch and Jurence Mendoza picked up OSU's first win of doubles play on court two, as the No. 50-ranked tandem dropped Thibault Cancel and Edson Ortiz, 6-0. Friday's win was the sixth of the season for Gerch and Mendoza, which ranks as the second most for an OSU tandem this season.
Julian Cash and Arjun Kadhe, ranked No. 5 in the nation, secured the doubles point for the Cowboys shortly thereafter, as they knocked off Alabama's Mazen Osama and Spencer Richey, 6-3, to pick up their 15th win of the season. The duo has now won 49 matches when partnering together and are unbeaten (5-0) in dual matches this season.
Oklahoma State, holding a 1-0 lead, continued to roll the Crimson Tide in the ensuing singles action.
Jurence Mendoza quickly added a second point for the Cowboys, as he cruised past Alabama's Zhe Zhou on court six, 6-1, 6-1. Mendoza's win was his 11th of the season, which is tied for the most by a Cowboy this year.
Mendoza is unbeaten in dual-match play thus far this spring, winning all five of his contests in straight sets. The junior's success was reflected in this week's ITA Rankings, where he went from unranked to No. 65 - the highest mark of his career.
Mendoza's doubles partner, Lucas Gerch, followed his lead on court five, as the senior ran away from Alexey Nesterov, 6-2, 6-2, to pick up his eighth win of the season. Gerch's triumph in singles play brings his career win total to 70 and leaves him one win shy of tying for seventh place on OSU's all-time singles wins list.
Artur Dubinski ultimately provided the clinching point for Oklahoma State on Friday, as the sophomore picked up his first collegiate singles win, 6-3, 6-3, over Spencer Richey. Dubinski, a native of Minsk, Belarus, joined the Cowboys prior to the ITA Kick-Off Weekend two weeks ago after winning more than 70 matches and capturing one title while competing on the ITF Futures Tour.
"That was a big win for Artur," Udwadia said. "He showed some emotion after he clinched it and you could tell how much it meant to him to get his first singles win."
With the victory secured, the Cowboys looked to close out the remaining matches and preserve their third shutout of the season.
Julian Cash was the first to do so, as the three remaining matches all went to third-set super tiebreaks. Cash won seven of the final nine points in his tiebreak to drop No. 82 Thibault Cancel, 5-7, 6-3, (10-7). Friday's victory marks the fourth time this season that Cash has defeated a ranked opponent and the second time the junior has done so during the dual season.
Lukas Finzelberg was the next Cowboy to extend the OSU lead, as he dropped Alabama's Mazen Osama, 6-4, 7-5, (10-7) on court two. Finzelberg, ranked No. 48 in the nation, now has 11 singles victories on the year, tying him with Mendoza for the team lead.
Arjun Kadhe was the last to wrap up his match, as the Pune, India native came back to win a tight third-set tiebreak from Edson Ortiz, 7-6 (3), 5-7, (10-8). Kadhe won the final four points of the tiebreak to pick up his 10th win of the season, becoming the third Cowboy to reach double digits this season.
Friday's dual against Alabama also saw the Cowboys welcome back legendary head coach James Wadley, who performed the ceremonial coin toss prior to doubles action.
Wadley spent 40 years as the head coach of the OSU men's tennis team, which ranks as the longest tenure for an Oklahoma State head coach, regardless of sport. He won 662 matches, made 17 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and captured 12 conference titles during his time in Stillwater.
"Coach Wadley is Oklahoma State tennis," Udwadia said. "Anytime we can represent him well and do something to honor him, I definitely want to do it. He means a lot to this program."
Udwadia and the Cowboys will wrap up their three-match homestand on Sunday with a doubleheader against No. 2 Wake Forest and UMKC. OSU will take the courts at noon to face the Demon Deacons before squaring off with the Kangaroos in the nightcap at 5 p.m.
No. 12 Oklahoma State 7, Alabama 0
Feb. 10, 2017 | Greenwood Tennis Center | Stillwater, Okla.
Doubles (Order of finish: 2, 1)
C1: No. 5 Cash/Kadhe (OSU) def. Osama/Richey (BAMA), 6-3
C2: No. 50 Gerch/Mendoza (OSU) def. Cancel/Ortiz (BAMA), 6-0
C3: Finzelberg/Dubinski (OSU) vs. Nesterov/Zhou, 4-4, unf.
Singles (Order of finish: 6, 5, 3, 1, 2, 4)
C1: No. 32 Julian Cash (OSU) vs. No. 82 Thibault Cancel (BAMA), 5-7, 6-3, (10-7)
C2: No. 48 Lukas Finzelberg vs. No. 92 Mazen Osama (BAMA), 6-4, 5-7, (10-7)
C3: Artur Dubinski (OSU) vs. Spencer Richey (BAMA), 6-3, 6-3
C4: Arjun Kadhe (OSU) vs. Edson Ortiz (BAMA), 7-6 (3), 3-6, (10-8)
C5: Lucas Gerch (OSU) def. Alexey Nesterov (BAMA), 6-2, 6-2
C6: No. 65 Jurence Mendoza (OSU) def. Zhe Zhou (BAMA), 6-1, 6-1
Players Mentioned
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