Oklahoma State University Athletics
Men's Tennis Edges Tulsa, 4-3
April 14, 2005 | Cowboy Tennis
The Cowboys improved to 16-5 on the year, while Tulsa fell to 14-10.
The Pokes jumped ahead quickly in doubles after senior Boris Kuharic and junior Felipe Diaz took just 35 minutes to pick up an 8-4 win over Achim Roth and Alek Charpantidis at the No. 1 position.
At No. 2, senior Mark Van Elden and sophomore Daniel Byrnes fought off six separate match points in the deciding game before finally falling to Andy Connelly and Diego Camacho, 8-6. Junior Tomas Bohunicky and sophomore Artie Burmistrau dropped the No. 3 match by an identical score just minutes later, giving Tulsa a 1-0 lead.
“I was really happy with singles. Tomas played exceptionally well against a good player, and Artie played very well even though he lost,” head coach James Wadley said. “I would have liked to have won doubles too, but Boris and Felipe did play a super match at No. 1.”
Van Elden quickly tied the team score with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Achim Roth at No. 1 singles. The Geelong, Australia, native trailed only once in the match, 1-0 in the first set.
Kuharic and Bohunicky swapped positions in the singles lineup, and the move paid off for both. Kuharic kept the unforced errors to a minimum and cruised past Charpantidis, 6-1, 6-2, in first action at the No. 2 spot this season.
After Camacho tied the match for Tulsa by defeating Diaz at the No. 6 spot, Bohunicky picked up a straight set victory at No. 3 over Ricardo Soriano, 6-3, 6-4. Bohunicky hit a beautiful drop shot to end a long rally and give himself match point, then received some help as Soriano hit a forehand into the net to end it and give OSU a 3-2 lead.
After winning the first set against Will Gray, 7-6, Byrnes trailed 4-3 in the second when he needed an injury timeout. The pain did not deter the sophomore, however, as he came back to win three straight games to give himself a 6-4 set win and give the Cowboys the clinching fourth team point.
Federico Soriano capped off the scoring for the Golden Hurricane, picking up a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Burmistrau in the No. 5 slot.
OSU hits the road once again this weekend for a 12 p.m. Saturday match against 49th-ranked TCU in Fort Worth,Texas.
Doubles
No. 1 - Kuharic/Diaz (OSU) def. Roth/Charpantidis (TU); 8-4
No. 2 - Andy Connelly/Camacho (TU) def. Byrnes/Van Elden (OSU); 8-6
No. 3 - Lucques Maasdorp/R. Soriano (TU) def. Bohunicky/Burmistrau (OSU); 8-6
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
No. 1 - No. 35 Mark Van Elden (OSU) def. Achim Roth (TU); 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 - Boris Kuharic (OSU) def. Alek Charpantidis (TU); 6-1, 6-2
No. 3 - No. 123 Tomas Bohunicky (OSU) def. Ricardo Soriano (TU); 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 - Daniel Byrnes (OSU) def. Will Gray (TU); 7-6 (3), 6-4
No. 5 - Federico Soriano (TU) def. Artie Burmistrau (OSU); 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
No. 6 - Diego Camacho (TU) def. Felipe Diaz (OSU); 6-4, 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 2, 6, 3, 4, 5
