Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis Opens Big 12 Championship Play on Friday
April 22, 2009 | Cowboy Tennis
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State's men's tennis team will open Big 12 tournament play Friday against Texas Tech at the Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman, Okla.
The match is set to begin at 9 a.m. The winner will advance to face top seed and fifth-ranked Baylor in the second round. Live scoring for Friday's match will be available at www.big12sports.com.
About the Cowboys
OSU enters the Big 12 tournament with a 13-6 record, including a 3-3 mark in its Big 12 matches. The Cowboys moved up three spots to No. 21 in this week's Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings.
Junior Oleksandr Nedovyesov leads the Cowboys at No. 1 singles. The Alushta, Ukraine native holds a 15-3 record this spring and a 5-1 record in his Big 12 matches. Nedovyesov is ranked No. 2 in the ITA singles rankings, his second consecutive week at the No. 2 spot.
Anton Bobytskyi has been a solid performer for Oklahoma State, playing at the Nos. 4 and 5 slots. He has a 13-4 record this spring.
Nedovyesov joins senior Nathan Byrnes at No. 1 doubles. The Cowboy duo is 12-3 overall, including a 5-1 record in Big 12 play. Nedovyesov and Byrnes wrapped up their second consecutive Big 12 championship at No. 1 doubles this past weekend. They enter the tournament ranked No. 13 in the ITA doubles rankings.
Scouting the Red Raiders
Texas Tech is 13-10, 2-4. The Red Raiders are ranked No. 34 in this week's Campell/ITA College Tennis Rankings.
OSU and Texas Tech have met twice this season. The Red Raiders claiming a 4-1 win at the Blue Gray Tennis Classic on March 21, but the Cowboys bounced back for a 4-3 win in conference play April 17.
Freshman Raony Carvalho leads the Red Raiders at the No. 1 slot. He boasts a 13-7 record with a 3-3 mark in league play. Carvalho is ranked No. 45 in the singles rankings and will likely square off with Nedovyesov. In both matches this spring, Nedovyesov has claimed straight-set wins.
Carvolho joins Christian Rojmar to make up the 14th-ranked doubles team in the nation. They hold a 3-3 mark in Big 12 matches this spring. They will likely face Nedovyesov and Byrnes for Oklahoma State. In the April 17 match, the Cowboy duo handed Carvolho and Rojmar an 8-7 (4) defeat.
Regular Season on April 17: OSU 4, TTU 3
DOUBLES
No. 1 – No. 17 Nedovyesov/Byrnes (OSU) def. No. 12 Carvalho/Rojmar 8-7 (4)
No. 2 -- Markovic/Breler (TTU) def. Trukshanin/Bobytskyi 8-6
No. 3 -- Gonzalez/Escobar (TTU) def. Sobolta/Bessonov 8-2
SINGLES
No. 1 -- No. 2 Oleksandr Nedovyesov (OSU) def. No. 41 Raony Carvalho 7-6 (5), 6-3
No. 2 -- No. 109 Sinisa Markovic (TTU) def. Nathan Byrnes 6-2, 1-6, 6-1
No. 3 – Aleksey Bessonov (OSU) def. Gonzalo Escobar 6-3, 6-1
No. 4 -- Anton Bobytskyi (OSU) def. Christian Rojmar 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
No. 5 -- Michael Breler (TTU) def. Mikhail Trukshanin 6-3, 6-4
No. 6 -- Igor Sobolta (OSU) def. David Gonzalez 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5)
Cowboys at the Big 12 Championships
Oklahoma State has never won a Big 12 championship in the 12-year history of the tournament.
However, the Cowboys have advanced to the championship match twice and have been eliminated in the first round only twice. The Cowboys have advanced the semifinals six times.
Dating back to 2003, the Cowboys have been in the championship match twice and have been in the semifinals four times.
Last Time Out
The Cowboys dropped a 7-0 decision to Big 12 regular season champion and fifth-ranked Baylor on Sunday. Before that, OSU traveled to Texas Tech on Friday and handed the Red Raiders a 4-3 defeat.
