No. 9 Texas A&M Men's Tennis heads to Big 12 Championships in Waco
Apr 28, 2011 | Men's Tennis
April 28, 2011
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The 2011 Aggie men's tennis squad will face Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championships which will be held at the Baylor Tennis Center in Waco, Texas. The Aggies are 24-5 and finished second in the Big 12 regular season with a 5-1 league record. A&M has won 19 of its last 21 matches. Along the way A&M beat Top 10 teams California, Ohio State and Illinois. A&M defeated No. 5 at the time California on the road and beat Ohio State when they were No. 5 and Illinois when they were No. 6 in College Station. The Aggies dropped a 4-3 decision to current No. 13 Pepperdine in Malibu (Mar. 19) and was outscored 5-2 by current No. 5 Baylor in Waco on Apr. 20. The other three losses came indoors.
BIG 12 MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:
Friday, Apr. 29 (Quarterfinals)
(4) Texas Tech vs. (5) Oklahoma--9 am
(2) Texas A&M vs. (7) Oklahoma State--12 noon
(3) Texas vs. (6) Nebraska--3 pm
Saturday, Apr. 30 (Semifinals)
(1) Baylor vs. Texas Tech-Oklahoma winner--12 noon
Texas A&M-Oklahoma State winner vs. Texas-Nebraska winner--12 noon
Sunday, May 1 (Finals):
Championship Match--1 pm
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP AGGIE HISTORY: The Aggies have won the Big 12 Championships on three occasions--1998, 2000 and 2001. The 1998 championships were held in Lincoln, Nebraska, the 2000 match was in Kansas City, Missouri, and the 2001 championships were held in Waco, Texas. A&M has reached the championship match three other times. Last year (2010) in Austin and A&M dropped a 4-3 decision to host Texas. In 2004, A&M fell to Baylor, 4-0, in Norman, Oklahoma. In 2002, A&M faced Baylor in the title match in College Station and dropped a 4-2 decision. In 2001, A&M beat Texas in Waco, 4-1. The 2000 title match was a 4-1 Aggie decision over Baylor in Kansas City. 1998 was the Aggies' first appearance in the title match and came away with a 4-0 win over Texas in Lincoln.
COACH Steve Denton ON BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS: "The Big 12 regular season had so many 4-3 matches which shows the strength and parity of our league from top to bottom. We have a minimum of five teams that are an Elite Eight caliber team. We are very excited about playing in the Big 12 Championships and we get another crack at some very good teams and this allows us to compete one last time before the NCAA Championships. Last year, we came up a little short to Texas in the finals. We look at this championship as an opportunity to win a Big 12 title."
EARLIER THIS SPRING vs. OKLAHOMA STATE: These two tennis clubs met in the 2011 Big 12 opener for both schools on Friday, Mar. 25 in Stillwater. The Aggies entered the match ranked No. 6 in the country and came away with a 7-0 victory. The Aggies took the doubles point with the No. 3 unit of sophomore Alberto Bautista and junior Colin Hoover first off with an 8-2 win and the point was clinched when the No. 1 duo of Austin Krajicek and Jeff Dadamo took an 8-3 win. Freshman Junior Ore and senior Alexey Grigorov completed the doubles sweep with an 8-6 decision. Junior Alexis Klegou (from Dunkerque, France) played at the No. 3 line and had a dominating straight sets victory over Aleksey Bessonov (6-0, 6-0). Hoover defeated Tomas Patino, 6-1, 6-1, to clinch the match. Every match with the exception of the No. 3 singles went in straight sets. A&M's Grigorov outlasted OSU's Eric West, 6-3, 4-6, 11-9 to post the victory for A&M.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS VS. OSU: Texas A&M is 2-3 all-time against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championships. A&M beat Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals last year in Austin, 4-0. The first meeting came in 2001 in Waco with A&M beating OSU, 4-1, in the semifinals. In between, OSU posted a 4-2 victory over A&M in the semifinals in 2005 in Austin. A 4-2 OSU victory came in the quarterfinals in Waco in 2006 and the 2007 quarterfinals saw a 4-1 Cowboy win over the Aggies in Kansas City.
SCHOOL RECORD HOME WINNING STREAK: Thanks to the senior leadership, the hard work by the entire Aggie tennis squad, and the 12th Man, Texas A&M has posted a school-record 34 straight home match winning streak. The last time A&M was outscored at the end of the match was Jan. 30, 2010 against Fresno State, 4-3.
NATIONAL ATTENDANCE LEADER: The 12th Man has been crucial to the Aggies' success. The crowd set a regular-season match attendance record with 1,093 attending the Mar. 10 match against No. 5 Ohio State, a 4-0 A&M victory. That figure was the top single-match attendance in America this spring. Some other top crowds include the 706 who watched A&M beat Texas Tech on Apr. 8 and a crowd of 545 last Saturday against Texas.
Top 10 Men's Crowds at the Mitchell Tennis Center
1. 2,339 Georgia
May 18, 2002
2. 1,820 Baylor
May 21, 2005
3. 1,316 Ole Miss
May 14, 2009
4. 1,130 Texas
Apr. 27, 2002
5. 1,093 Ohio State
Mar. 10, 2011
6. 1,089 Texas Tech
Apr. 3, 2009
7. 1,030 Texas
Apr. 23, 2005
8. 1,022 Baylor
Apr. 28, 2002
9. 1,007 Texas
Apr. 14, 2001
10. 1,003 Texas Tech Apr. 9, 2005
AGGIES LOOK TO TIE 2nd-BEST SEASON MARK: The 2011 edition of Texas A&M men's tennis has already won 24 matches and with a win on Friday would tie for the second-best season record in school history. The 2010 edition posted a 25-7 dual record to earn second place on the all-time list and the all-time best mark was the 2001 squad with a 27-4 overall record.
MOST AGGIE TENNIS DUAL WINS IN A SEASON:
27-4 2001
25-7 2010
24-5 2011
24-6 2000
24-9 2004
24-10 1984
CURRENT RANKINGS: In the team rankings, the Aggies are ranked No. 9 in the latest ITA rankings with Baylor ranked No. 5. Texas is ranked No. 14 with Texas Tech at No. 21 and Oklahoma at No. 25. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are ranked No. 39. In singles rankings, A&M's Austin Krajicek is ranked No. 18, Jeff Dadamo is at No. 36 and Alexis Klegou is ranked No. 89. In doubles, A&M's senior All-American duo of Austin Krajicek and Jeff Dadamo are ranked No. 4 while the No. 2 A&M's doubles team of senior Alexey Grigorov and freshman Junior Ore are ranked No. 61 the No. 3 A&M doubles team of sophomore Alberto Bautista and junior Colin Hoover are ranked No. 90.
TOUGH COMPETITION: The Aggies have faced a challenging schedule which has helped prepare them for the Big 12 Championships and the NCAA Championships. In addition to the ranked Big 12 clubs: Baylor (#5), Texas (#14), Texas Tech (#21), Oklahoma (#25), and Nebraska (#39); A&M faced Ohio State (#3), Pepperdine (#13), California (#16), Illinois (#18), Mississippi State (#20), Washington (#23), Miami (#27), Notre Dame (#30), LSU (#34), Tulsa (#35), Rice (#44), TCU (#57) and Wisconsin (#71).
UP NEXT:/ After the Big 12 Championships, the NCAA first and second rounds will be held at regional sites May 14-15. The NCAA announcement will be at 4:30 pm central on Tuesday, May 3 on the NCAA website, www.NCAA.com. The NCAA Championships will be hosted by Stanford, May 19-30.
SENIORS GET IT DONE: The four Aggie senior tennis players played their last regular season home match at the Mitchell Tennis Center as the Aggies defeated Texas, 5-2, Apr. 23. The seniors have done a tremendous job of keeping the Aggie tennis program heading up the national rankings. Led at the top of the lineup by captain and All-American Austin Krajicek from Brandon, Florida, along with his doubles teammate senior All-American Jeff Dadamo from Tampa, Florida. The terrific duo has played No. 1 doubles and Krajicek has held down the top spot in singles while Dadamo has been entrenched at the No. 2 slot. Senior Alexey Grigorov from Moscow, Russia, has played singles at the No. 3 and No. 4 lines and with his doubles freshman partner Junior Ore has given the Aggies' great production at No. 2 doubles. Senior Kayvon Karimi from Dallas, Texas, broke into the Aggie lineup as a true freshman playing at the No. 5 and No. 6 lines. Earlier this year, Karimi played at No. 5 against UT-Pan American and yielded only three points.
COACH Steve Denton ON THE AGGIE SENIORS: Aggie head coach Steve Denton is in his fifth season at the helm of the Texas A&M men's tennis program and he had this to say about this 2011 Senior Class:
"I get a lump in my throat when I think about what these four seniors have meant to Aggie tennis as they have thrust us to national prominence. I consider all four of these young men as sons. They are a very special group and whatever the future holds for them, I know they will be successful.
What I admire most about Kayvon Karimi is his passion for tennis and his perseverance over his career in Aggieland. He didn't get to play as much as he wanted, but he found other ways to make major contributions to the team. He is tremendously popular among his teammates. He has grown up before our eyes and I am very proud of him.
Alexey Grigorov, Mr. Clutch, has won so many big matches for the Aggies in his career. He has put his mark on Aggie tennis for years to come as he loved the big stage. His love-hate relationship with the sport is legendary around Aggieland. A tremendous talent that can do anything with a tennis ball, he is also tremendously popular with his teammates. He is affectionately known as `Griggy' and he will be sorely missed.
Jeff Dadamo is probably the most talented ball striker that I have ever coached. He has had a tremendous impact on our team and has had a phenomenal senior year. He has continued to develop his game and has added additional weapons to his arsenal. He has bought into all the Aggie traditions in a short time and has been a tremendous asset to our team.
With Austin Krajicek, words can't adequately express just how much he has meant to the success of our program. Since day one, he has been the consummate professional and such a team leader. Since Coach (Bob) McKinley and I have been here, he has been the face of Aggie tennis. Austin is a great example of all that is good about college sports. The love and passion he has for the game of tennis is amazing. He will go down as one of, if not, the greatest Aggie tennis player in our school's history.
SENIOR CAPTAIN Conor Pollock's record of 91 wins. He has been named All-Big 12 every season in singles and doubles. He has reached as high as No. 6 in singles rankings. Krajicek, along with senior teammate Conor Pollock's to reach the semifinals in the NCAA Doubles Championships.
SENIOR Jeff Dadamo: This Florida native played two years for the University of Florida but transferred to A&M in 2009 and promptly was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year playing at the No. 2 line in singles and earned Co-Big 12 Champion at that line last spring. An All-Big 12 and All-American in doubles with teammate Austin Krajicek, the dynamic duo has reached as high as No. 1 in doubles rankings and brought home the national championship at the 2010 USTA/ITA National Indoor Championship in Flushing, New York in November of 2010. Dadamo reached the round of 32 at the 2010 NCAA Singles Championships. In February of 2010, Dadamo beat Ed Corrie from Texas when the Longhorn was ranked No. 9 in the nation. This spring, Dadamo defeated No. 17-ranked Sebastian Fanselow from Pepperdine (6-3, 6-4) and in his last singles action, defeated Corrie from Texas, 6-0, 7-6 (4) when Corrie was ranked No. 33.
SENIOR Marcus Lunt and the duo reached No. 33 in the national rankings. Grigorov became the 18th all-time Aggie player to post 20 doubles victories in one season. The senior became the 30th Aggie to post at least 20 singles wins in a season with a 21-5 mark in 2009-10. At his best against nationally ranked opponents with a 3-1 record last spring in those matches. Among his victories was a three-set victory at the No. 3 line in the upset of eventual national champion USC last spring.
SENIOR Kayvon Karimi: This Dallas native broke into the Aggie lineup as a true freshman competing at the No. 5 and No. 6 lines. He clinched the Nebraska match that freshman year winning two tiebreakers to earn the straight sets victory. He reached the round of 32 in the prequalifying singles draw in the ITA All-American Tournament. He reached the round of 16 in the prequalifying singles draw at the 2009 D'Novo/ITA Men's All-American Championships in Tulsa. Earlier this spring in the UT-Pan American match, he posted a straight sets 6-4, 6-0 victory.
JUNIOR Alexis Klegou: The Dunkerque, France, native brings an 11-match winning streak into the Big 12 Championships including a 6-0 mark in Big 12 action. The righthander is ranked No. 89 in singles and had perhaps his best match of the spring against Oklahoma State in Stillwater when he played at the No. 3 line and had a dominating straight sets victory over Aleksey Bessonov (6-0, 6-0).
JUNIOR Colin Hoover: The Victoria, Texas, native has been a solid performer in both singles and doubles for the Aggies. He has posted a 3-2 record at the No. 3 line, a 4-6 record at No. 4 and 2-0 at No. 6. Hoover has an overall 11-8 record at singles. He and his doubles partner Alberto Bautista, are currently ranked No. 90 in doubles. The duo has a 17-5 record this spring mainly at the No. 3 line.
JUNIOR John Lewis: The Birmingham, Alabama, native has a 7-0 record this spring in singles with a 3-0 record at the No. 6 line. He has also played doubles with Niall Angus and Alexis Klegou to post a 5-1 record in doubles.
SOPHOMORE Alberto Bautista: The McAllen, Texas, native has played mainly at the No. 5 and No. 6 lines this spring and has posted an overall record of 13-9 in singles. With partner Colin Hoover, the duo is ranked No. 90 in doubles and has a 17-5 record. The duo posted a 15-match winning streak including an 8-6 win over No. 75-ranked Ohio State tandem of Balazs Novak and Devin McCarthy.
SOPHOMORE Niall Angus: The London, England, native has posted a 12-1 record in singles posting a 6-1 mark at the No. 6 line. He has partnered with John Lewis to post a 4-1 record in doubles. Angus has a four-match winning streak in both singles and doubles.
SOPHOMORE Beau Blackshear: The Brentwood, Tennessee, native lost a three-set match to Victor Alves from UT-Pan American. Blackshear teamed with Daniel Brown in doubles and posted a 2-1 record.
FRESHMAN Junior Ore: The Gaithersburg, Maryland, native has turned in a terrific freshman season. Ore (OAR-a) has posted an 8-1 record in singles and brings a five-match winning streak into the Big 12 Championships. He has posted a 3-0 record at the No. 4 line this spring. In doubles, he has partnered with senior Alexey Grigorov to post a 16-7 record in doubles. The duo has a 14-7 record at the No. 2 doubles and they are ranked No. 61.
FRESHMAN Daniel Brown: The Montgomery, Texas, native has a perfect 4-0 record in singles playing at the No. 4 and No. 5 lines. In doubles, Brown has teamed with Beau Blackshear to post a 2-1 record in doubles.
