University of Illinois
Purdue
#20 Illini Top Purdue in Home Finale, 5-2
April 22, 2012 | Men's Tennis
April 22, 2012
URBANA, Ill. - The 20th-ranked University of Illinois men's tennis team (14-7, 8-3 Big Ten) got back on track with a 5-2 win over Purdue (10-15, 2-9) Sunday afternoon at Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex to close out the regular season and secure the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Seniors Dennis Nevolo and Roy Kalmanovich each captured singles wins on Senior Day.
"I'm happy for the boys," head coach Brad Dancer said. "The seniors both got wins and a team victory. I thought Dennis had to battle and he got through a really great match. It was tough, windy conditions. It was really tricky out there, and it was never going to be pretty tennis on a day like today. Obviously, Dennis did a great job at staying composed."
The Illini captured the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. Junior Stephen Hoh and freshman Farris Gosea led off with an 8-4 winover Pawel Poziomski and Mark Kovacs at the No. 3 spot, while freshman tandem Tim Kopinski and Ross Guignon clinched the point with an 8-5 decision over Szymon Tatarczyk and Krisztian Krocsko at No. 2.
The Illini continued that momentum in singles play, claiming the first two completed matches. Kopinski led off, cruising to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Krocsko at the No. 4 spot. No. 30 Kalmanovich followed, taking down Diego Acosta, 6-2, 6-4, on court two to put the Orange and Blue one win away from a dual victory.
Illinois dropped the third match, but junior Bruno Abdelnour stormed back with a 6-4, 6-3 decision over Tatarczyk at the No. 3 position to seal the win for the Illini. No. 7 Nevolo added a win in his final match on his home court, taking a 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-3 battle over Mark Kovacs at the top spot.
"Until we can put an entire match together, we're going to wonder why we're third in the Big Ten going into the tournament," Dancer said. "That's just not an acceptable standard for us in terms of the way we perform as a team. I know I sound like a broken record saying that, but we're better than whatwe're showing out there."
The Orange and Blue will return to action at the 2012 Big Ten Tournament, hosted by Northwestern on April 26-29 in Evanston, Ill. The third-seeded Illini received a first-round bye and will face the winner of No. 6 Northwestern and No. 11 Penn State on Friday, April 27 at 1:30 p.m. CT.
Singles
1. #7 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. Mark Kovacs (PUR) 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-3
2. #30 Roy Kalmanovich (ILL) def. Diego Acosta (PUR) 6-2, 6-4
3. Bruno Abdelnour (ILL) def. Szymon Tatarczyk (PUR) 6-4, 6-3
4. Tim Kopinski (ILL) def. Krisztian Krocsko (PUR) 6-2, 6-3
5. Aaron Dujovne (PUR) def. Farris Gosea (ILL) 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9)
6. Evan Hawkins (PUR) def. Ross Guignon (ILL) 6-2, 7-5
Doubles
1. #73 Aaron Dujovne/Diego Acosta (PUR) def. #20 Dennis Nevolo/Roy Kalmanovich(ILL) 8-6
2. Tim Kopinski/Ross Guignon (ILL) def. Szymon Tatarczyk/Krisztian Krocsko (PUR) 8-5
3. Stephen Hoh/Farris Gosea (ILL) def. Pawel Poziomski/Mark Kovacs (PUR) 8-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (4,2,6,3,1,5)
