Sunday, March 12
College Station
1:00 PM
Texas A&M
4
vs
3
Kentucky
Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics
No. 12 Texas A&M Men's Tennis Wins Ninth Straight Match
Mar 12, 2017 | Men's Tennis
Tops No. 18 Kentucky and Prairie View A&M
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 12 Texas A&M men's tennis team ran their SEC leading win streak to nine matches, topping No. 18 Kentucky ,4-3, and Prairie View A&M, 7-0, at the George P Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas Sunday afternoon. With the wins, the Aggies improved to 10-3 on the season and 4-0 in SEC play, while the Wildcats fell to 11-6 overall, 2-2 in league matches and the Panthers stand at 3-15 on the season.
Junior Jordi Arconada has made a knack of clinching matches for the Maroon & White lately, doing so in four of the last five matches. The freshly ranked No. 115 singles player in the country, Arconada defeated No. 75 Nils Ellefsen 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 on court four to secure the match for the home team. The Buenos Aires, Argentina native ran his team-best win streak to nine-matches to improve to 11-3 this season.
Joining Arconada in the win column against the Wildcats were AJ Catanzariti, Valentin Vacherot and Hady Habib. Habib, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, put the first point on the board for the home team as he bested Enzo Wallart 6-4, 6-3 on court six. Catanzariti evened the team match at 2-2, topping No. 25 Ryotaro Matsumura 7-5, 7-5 on court two. The win was the first for the Pittsburgh, Penn. native over a player ranked in the Top-25. Vacherot put the Aggies' third point on the board, topping Trey Yates 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 on court five.
The Aggies dropped the doubles point to open the match against Kentucky, losing a 6-4 decision by No. 22 Rinderknech and Max Lunkin to No. 70 Beck Pennington and Wallart on court one and a 6-3 decision by William Bushamuka and Ellefsen on court two over Aleksandre Bakshi and Habib. Kentucky added points in singles play from Pennington over Bakshi on court three and No. 28 Bushamuka over No. 8 Rinderknech on court one.
The Aggies turned their fortune around in doubles action against the Panthers, sweeping all three doubles matches. Vacherot and James Martell claimed a 6-0 win over Anirudh Yadav and Sergio Avella followed by Catanzariti and Arconada's 6-2 triumph over Zachary Suico and Freddy Quintero to clinch the point. Kevin Lam and Frankie Colunga played out the match on court one, topping Xavier Lawrence and Ulrick Boyogueno 6-2.
Colunga added the Aggies second point in the second match of the day, topping Quintero 6-0, 6-0 on court four. Martell then pushed Texas A&M ahead 3-0, topping Suico 6-1, 6-0 on court six followed by the match clincher from Vacherot over Lawrence, 6-0, 6-1 on court three. Lunkin topped Avella 6-1, 6-2 on court one, followed by Bakshi besting Boyogueno 6-0, 6-2 on court two. The days' final point came from Lam, topping Yadav 6-4, 5-7, 1-0[10] on court five.
The Maroon & White take to the road next Friday, taking on Alabama at 5pm in Tuscaloosa before hosting No. 1 Ohio State nest Sunday at 12pm at the Mitchell Tennis Center. All Texas A&M students are granted free admission to home matches by presenting a valid student ID. Additionally, fans are reminded the Mitchell Tennis Center adheres to the Texas A&M Athletics 'Clear Bag' policy, for more information about the policy visit 12thMan.com/beclear .
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieMensTennis.
Post Match Quotes
Steve Denton, Texas A&M Men's Tennis Head Coach
On defeating Kentucky…
"It's always a really hard fought match against Kentucky. It was a big team effort, especially after dropping the doubles point. I thought our guys really had to dig deep to win that match today. I was really pleased with the way AJ [Catanzariti] played today, think that might have been the best match he has played in a while. He should gain a lot of confidence from that win today. Jordi [Arconada] coming back from a couple match points to win and clinch for us was really huge. Our guys have been really resilient, they have not gone away in matches they could have when it was not their day. They continue to stay in there and compete and battle really hard. While a lot of the big points did not go our way today, like they have in other matches, the guys just kept hanging around and we ended up figuring out a way to win it. Give Kentucky a lot of credit, they gave us everything we could handle today and our guys continue to show grit."
On the team's win streak…
"We just have to keep working and getting better. The good news is that we have areas we can still improve on and we need to do that moving forward. We have been winning ugly in some matches, but the fact that we are winning and coming from behind should give us more and more confidence. We hope to get everyone on the same page and get everyone playing great tennis. Once we get that going it will be really good for us, being a battle tested team will help us moving forward throughout the rest of the regular season and headed into postseason play."
Kentucky vs Texas A&M
Mar 12, 2017 at College Station, TX
(George P Mitchell Tennis Center)
#12 Texas A&M 4, #18 Kentucky 3
Singles competition
1. #28 William Bushamuka (UK) def. #8 Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3)
2. AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) def. #25 Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) 7-5, 7-5
3. Beck Pennington (UK) def. Aleksandre Bakshi (TAMU) 6-3, 6-4
4. #115 Jordi Arconada (TAMU) def. #75 Nils Ellefsen (UK) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
5. Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) def. Trey Yates (UK) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
6. Hady Habib (TAMU) def. Enzo Wallart (UK) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #70 Beck Pennington/Enzo Wallart (UK) def. #22 Arthur Rinderknech/Max Lunkin (TAMU) 6-4
2. William Bushamuka/Nils Ellefsen (UK) def. Aleksandre Bakshi/Hady Habib (TAMU) 6-3
3. Jordi Arconada/AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) vs. Ryotaro Matsumura/Trey Yates (UK) 5-4, unfinished
Match Notes:
Kentucky 11-6, 2-2; National ranking #18
Texas A&M 9-3, 4-0; National ranking #12
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 1); Singles (3, 6, 2, 5, 1, 4)
T-2:48
Prairie View A&M vs Texas A&M
Mar 12, 2017 at College Station, TX
(George P Mitchell Tennis Center)
#12 Texas A&M 7, Prairie View A&M 0
Singles competition
1. Max Lunkin (TAMU) def. Sergio Avella (PVAMU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Aleksandre Bakshi (TAMU) def. Ulrick Boyogueno (PVAMU) 6-0, 6-2
3. Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) def. Xavier Lawrence (PVAMU) 6-0, 6-1
4. Frankie Colunga (TAMU) def. Freddy Quintero (PVAMU) 6-0, 6-0
5. Kevin Lam (TAMU) def. Anirudh Yadav (PVAMU) 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (12-10)
6. James Martell (TAMU) def. Zachary Suico (PVAMU) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Kevin Lam/Frankie Colunga (TAMU) def. Xavier Lawrence/Ulrick Boyogueno (PVAMU) 6-2
2. James Martell/Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) def. Anirudh Yadav/Sergio Avella (PVAMU) 6-0
3. AJ Catanzariti/Jordi Arconada (TAMU) def. Zachary Suico/Freddy Quintero (PVAMU) 6-2
Match Notes:
Prairie View A&M 3-15
Texas A&M 10-3; National ranking #12
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (6, 4, 3, 1, 2, 5)
T-2:35
Junior Jordi Arconada has made a knack of clinching matches for the Maroon & White lately, doing so in four of the last five matches. The freshly ranked No. 115 singles player in the country, Arconada defeated No. 75 Nils Ellefsen 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 on court four to secure the match for the home team. The Buenos Aires, Argentina native ran his team-best win streak to nine-matches to improve to 11-3 this season.
Joining Arconada in the win column against the Wildcats were AJ Catanzariti, Valentin Vacherot and Hady Habib. Habib, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, put the first point on the board for the home team as he bested Enzo Wallart 6-4, 6-3 on court six. Catanzariti evened the team match at 2-2, topping No. 25 Ryotaro Matsumura 7-5, 7-5 on court two. The win was the first for the Pittsburgh, Penn. native over a player ranked in the Top-25. Vacherot put the Aggies' third point on the board, topping Trey Yates 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 on court five.
The Aggies dropped the doubles point to open the match against Kentucky, losing a 6-4 decision by No. 22 Rinderknech and Max Lunkin to No. 70 Beck Pennington and Wallart on court one and a 6-3 decision by William Bushamuka and Ellefsen on court two over Aleksandre Bakshi and Habib. Kentucky added points in singles play from Pennington over Bakshi on court three and No. 28 Bushamuka over No. 8 Rinderknech on court one.
The Aggies turned their fortune around in doubles action against the Panthers, sweeping all three doubles matches. Vacherot and James Martell claimed a 6-0 win over Anirudh Yadav and Sergio Avella followed by Catanzariti and Arconada's 6-2 triumph over Zachary Suico and Freddy Quintero to clinch the point. Kevin Lam and Frankie Colunga played out the match on court one, topping Xavier Lawrence and Ulrick Boyogueno 6-2.
Colunga added the Aggies second point in the second match of the day, topping Quintero 6-0, 6-0 on court four. Martell then pushed Texas A&M ahead 3-0, topping Suico 6-1, 6-0 on court six followed by the match clincher from Vacherot over Lawrence, 6-0, 6-1 on court three. Lunkin topped Avella 6-1, 6-2 on court one, followed by Bakshi besting Boyogueno 6-0, 6-2 on court two. The days' final point came from Lam, topping Yadav 6-4, 5-7, 1-0[10] on court five.
The Maroon & White take to the road next Friday, taking on Alabama at 5pm in Tuscaloosa before hosting No. 1 Ohio State nest Sunday at 12pm at the Mitchell Tennis Center. All Texas A&M students are granted free admission to home matches by presenting a valid student ID. Additionally, fans are reminded the Mitchell Tennis Center adheres to the Texas A&M Athletics 'Clear Bag' policy, for more information about the policy visit 12thMan.com/beclear .
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieMensTennis.
Post Match Quotes
Steve Denton, Texas A&M Men's Tennis Head Coach
On defeating Kentucky…
"It's always a really hard fought match against Kentucky. It was a big team effort, especially after dropping the doubles point. I thought our guys really had to dig deep to win that match today. I was really pleased with the way AJ [Catanzariti] played today, think that might have been the best match he has played in a while. He should gain a lot of confidence from that win today. Jordi [Arconada] coming back from a couple match points to win and clinch for us was really huge. Our guys have been really resilient, they have not gone away in matches they could have when it was not their day. They continue to stay in there and compete and battle really hard. While a lot of the big points did not go our way today, like they have in other matches, the guys just kept hanging around and we ended up figuring out a way to win it. Give Kentucky a lot of credit, they gave us everything we could handle today and our guys continue to show grit."
On the team's win streak…
"We just have to keep working and getting better. The good news is that we have areas we can still improve on and we need to do that moving forward. We have been winning ugly in some matches, but the fact that we are winning and coming from behind should give us more and more confidence. We hope to get everyone on the same page and get everyone playing great tennis. Once we get that going it will be really good for us, being a battle tested team will help us moving forward throughout the rest of the regular season and headed into postseason play."
Kentucky vs Texas A&M
Mar 12, 2017 at College Station, TX
(George P Mitchell Tennis Center)
#12 Texas A&M 4, #18 Kentucky 3
Singles competition
1. #28 William Bushamuka (UK) def. #8 Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3)
2. AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) def. #25 Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) 7-5, 7-5
3. Beck Pennington (UK) def. Aleksandre Bakshi (TAMU) 6-3, 6-4
4. #115 Jordi Arconada (TAMU) def. #75 Nils Ellefsen (UK) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
5. Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) def. Trey Yates (UK) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
6. Hady Habib (TAMU) def. Enzo Wallart (UK) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #70 Beck Pennington/Enzo Wallart (UK) def. #22 Arthur Rinderknech/Max Lunkin (TAMU) 6-4
2. William Bushamuka/Nils Ellefsen (UK) def. Aleksandre Bakshi/Hady Habib (TAMU) 6-3
3. Jordi Arconada/AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) vs. Ryotaro Matsumura/Trey Yates (UK) 5-4, unfinished
Match Notes:
Kentucky 11-6, 2-2; National ranking #18
Texas A&M 9-3, 4-0; National ranking #12
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 1); Singles (3, 6, 2, 5, 1, 4)
T-2:48
Prairie View A&M vs Texas A&M
Mar 12, 2017 at College Station, TX
(George P Mitchell Tennis Center)
#12 Texas A&M 7, Prairie View A&M 0
Singles competition
1. Max Lunkin (TAMU) def. Sergio Avella (PVAMU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Aleksandre Bakshi (TAMU) def. Ulrick Boyogueno (PVAMU) 6-0, 6-2
3. Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) def. Xavier Lawrence (PVAMU) 6-0, 6-1
4. Frankie Colunga (TAMU) def. Freddy Quintero (PVAMU) 6-0, 6-0
5. Kevin Lam (TAMU) def. Anirudh Yadav (PVAMU) 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (12-10)
6. James Martell (TAMU) def. Zachary Suico (PVAMU) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Kevin Lam/Frankie Colunga (TAMU) def. Xavier Lawrence/Ulrick Boyogueno (PVAMU) 6-2
2. James Martell/Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) def. Anirudh Yadav/Sergio Avella (PVAMU) 6-0
3. AJ Catanzariti/Jordi Arconada (TAMU) def. Zachary Suico/Freddy Quintero (PVAMU) 6-2
Match Notes:
Prairie View A&M 3-15
Texas A&M 10-3; National ranking #12
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (6, 4, 3, 1, 2, 5)
T-2:35
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Media Availability: Steve Denton
Monday, October 13
Baylor Postgame: Steve Denton, Theo Papamalamis, Alan Magadan
Sunday, May 04
Rice Postgame: Togan Tokac
Saturday, May 03
NCAA Tournament Preview: Steve Denton, Raphael Perot
Tuesday, April 30
