Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Krajicek, No. 12 Aggies Edge Texas Tech, 4-3
Apr 11, 2010 | Men's Tennis
April 11, 2010
LUBBOCK, Texas - Junior All-American Austin Krajicek (Brandon, Fla.) was one of four singles players to lead the 12th-ranked Texas A&M men's tennis team to an important 4-3 road victory at No. 14 Texas Tech on Sunday afternoon at the McLeod Tennis Center.
The Aggies (20-4, 5-0) have now extended their win streak to 13-straight matches which is the second-longest stretch in school history behind 19 in a row to start off the 1993-94 season under former head coach David Kent which eventually led to A&M's first and only Southwest Conference championship title. The Aggies also recorded their first 20-win campaign in the Steve Denton Era and first since the 24-9 NCAA Sweet 16 squad in 2004.
A&M was forced to gain ground in singles, after dropping the doubles point for the first time in the last six matches. The Red Raiders took an early 1-0 lead behind No. 20-ranked Raony Carvalho and Rafael Garcia who edged fifth-ranked Austin Krajicek and junior Jeff Dadamo (Tampa, Fla.), 8-6, at the No. 1 line, preceded by an 8-4 victory by No. 40-ranked Gonzalo Escobar and Andre Stabile over freshman Alberto Bautista (McAllen, Texas) and junior Alexey Grigorov (Moscow, Russia) at No. 2.
"Tech played very well in doubles today," Denton said. "Give them credit. We came out a little tentative, but started to play solid at all three lines. Their No. 1 team played high-quality doubles and broke us at six-all, while our No. 3 team came back from five-love to keep us in there."
The Aggies battled back by winning five of the first six sets in singles and reeled off four consecutive straight-set victories courtesy of senior co-captain Marcus Lunt (San Antonio, Texas) over Raphael Pfister, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 6, Alexey Grigorov over Andre Stabile, 6-2, 7-5, at No. 4 and Jeff Dadamo over No. 72-ranked Gonzalo Escobar, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 2. Grigorov earned his 12th-straight victory to raise his dual record to a team-best 17-4, while Dadamo defeated his ninth ranked opponent of the season.
"We did a good job of handling the conditions in Lubbock," Denton said. "Everyone had to make some adjustments in their game today. We won five out of the first six sets. We really took it to them and were more aggressive in the singles. We were able to sustain that momentum into the second sets. We did a really good job of finishing. The matches were a lot closer than the score indicated. I was really proud of our guys, especially playing on the road and after losing the doubles point. We did a heck of a job holding serve and staying ahead of them - which made a big difference."
Krajicek, ranked No. 8 nationally, clinched the match with a convincing 6-4, 6-3 victory over sixth-ranked and 2009 Wilson/ITA Texas Regional singles champion Raony Carvalho at the top of the lineup. The 19-year-old left-hander became the 28th player in school history to gain entrance into the 50-Win Club having now compiled an impressive 50-16 (.758) singles dual record since his freshman campaign in 2007-08. Krajicek is currently an unbeaten 5-0 in league play and 16-3 on the season. He boasts a 13-3 mark versus ranked opponents which also includes notable wins over the No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No. 15 players in the country this spring.
"Austin made a commitment to be more aggressive this spring," Denton said. "He has been phenomenal at No. 1 and beaten some great players along the way. He has been consistent for us throughout the spring and I can't say enough about him. His work ethic is tremendous and he has been a great leader for our team. He has raised his level of play each year, but is very hungry to get better and better."
A&M is one win away from clinching a Big 12 Conference regular-season title outright with a perfect 5-0 start in league play for the first time since 2001. Fifth-ranked Texas (21-2, 4-0) is one-match back in second place in the latest Big 12 standings followed by a three-way tie for third between Texas Tech (18-3, 1-2), No. 21 Oklahoma (14-4, 1-2) and No. 38 Nebraska (13-8, 1-2) who are mathematically out of contention for the title with two losses.
"We have been able to remain focused during this streak," Denton said. "You don't worry or focus on that stuff - you focus on your game plan and the team you are playing first and foremost. We took care of business against Tech today and made sure we did not look ahead. I know our players are excited to play Texas and it will be a good opportunity for them. We had to have this win today to make that one meaningful. We are familiar with Texas. The match will come down to who is mentally tougher, who wants it more and who better executes their game plan."
The Aggies will close out conference play with the Longhorns in the state capital on Saturday, April 17 at 4 p.m. (CT) at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center in Austin, Texas. Live scoring will be available at: www.TexasSports.com.
(12) TEXAS A&M 4, (14) TEXAS TECH 3
April 11, 2010
McLeod Tennis Center
at Lubbock, Texas
SINGLES
No. 1 - (8) Austin Krajicek (Texas A&M) def. (6) Raony Carvalho (TTU), 6-4, 6-3.
No. 2 - (46) Jeff Dadamo (Texas A&M) def. (72) Gonzalo Escobar (TTU), 6-4, 6-2.
No. 3 - Rafael Garcia (TTU) def. (121) Alexis Klegou (Texas A&M), 6-4, 7-6 (4).
No. 4 - Alexey Grigorov (Texas A&M) def. Andre Stabile (TTU), 6-2, 7-5.
No. 5 - Vitor Manzini (TTU) def. Alberto Bautista (Texas A&M), 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 1-0 (5).
No. 6 - Marcus Lunt (Texas A&M) def. Raphael Pfister (TTU) 6-4, 6-2.
DOUBLES
No. 1 - (20) Raony Carvalho-Rafael Garcia (TTU) def. (5) Austin Krajicek-Jeff Dadamo (Texas A&M), 8-6.
No. 2 - (40) Gonzalo Escobar-Andre Stabile (TTU) def. Alberto Bautista-Alexey Grigorov (Texas A&M), 8-4.
No. 3 - Marcus Lunt-Alexis Klegou (Texas A&M) def. Vitor Manzini-David Gonzalez (TTU), 8-6.
ORDER OF FINISH
Singles: 6, 4, 2, 1*, 5, 3
Doubles: 2, 1, 3
Players Mentioned
