Men's Tennis Ties Longest Home Match Winning Streak by Beating Illinois

Saturday, March 12

College Station, Texas

1:00 PM

Texas A&M

Illinois

Mar 13, 2011 | Men's Tennis

By: Texas A&M Athletics

March 13, 2011

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - With senior All-Americans Austin Krajicek and Jeff Dadamo leading the way, the 17th-ranked Texas A&M men's tennis team defeated the nation's 6th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, 7-0, on Saturday to push the Aggies' home winning streak to a record-tying 27 straight matches dating back to the Fresno State match (Jan. 30, 2010) last year.

Krajicek and Dadamo, ranked No. 3 in the latest doubles rankings, were the first doubles team off the court with an 8-5 victory over Illinois' Johnny Hamui and Brian Alden at the No. 1 line. The victory is the 92nd doubles win for Krajicek as he eclipses the school record set by his previous teammate, Conor Pollock.

The Aggies clinched the doubles point when No. 45 duo of Colin Hoover and Alberto Bautista took care of Abe Souza and Stephen Hoh at the No. 3 doubles, 8-6. Freshman Junior Ore and senior Alexey Grigorov would make it a clean sweep with an 8-5 win at the No. 2 doubles.

The Aggies would take the momentum of the doubles point into singles play and Niall Angus was first off at the No. 6 line with a 6-1, 6-3 sweep of Alden.

The Aggies would move to 3-0 in the match as Krajicek won in straight sets, 6-0, 7-6 at the No. 1 line and then Dadamo would clinch the match for the Aggies with a 7-6, 6-4 victory at the No. 2 singles.

The teams played out the rest of the matches with Alexis Klegou and Hoh splitting the first two sets before playing a tiebreaker for the third and deciding set with Klegou winning the match, 6-7, 6-2, 10-7.

Grigorov outlasted Souza at the No. 3 line, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 before Bautista closed out the sweep at the No. 5 line by beating Bruno Abdelnour, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

The win improves the Aggies' record to 13-3 with another match to be played later tonight against Laredo Community College. Illinois falls to 9-6 on the season. Illinois had defeated A&M earlier this season in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle, 4-1.

Saturday, Mar. 12, 2011

#17 Texas A&M 7, #6 Illinois 0

Singles

1-- No. 38 Austin Krajicek, A&M def. No. 62 Johnny Hamui, Ill.-- 6-0, 7-6

2-- No. 55 Jeff Dadamo, A&M def. Roy Kalmanovich, Ill.-- 7-6, 6-4

3-- Alexey Grigorov, A&M def. Abe Souza, Ill.-- 6-2, 3-6, 7-5

4-- No. 80 Alexis Klegou, A&M def. Stephen Hoh, Ill.-- 6-7, 6-2, 10-7

5-- Alberto Bautista, A&M def. Bruno Abdelnour, Ill.-- 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

6-- Niall Angus, A&M def Brian Alden, Ill.-- 6-1, 6-3

Doubles

1-- No. 3 Dadamo/Krajicek, A&M def. Hamui/Alden, Ill-- 8-5

2-- Junior Ore/Grigorov, A&M def.DennisNevolo/Kalmanovich, Ill-- 8-5