CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 13 Texas A&M men's tennis team defeated No. 23 Harvard, 4-3, on its home court to secure the team's spot at the ITA Indoor Nationals at the Murr Center on Sunday.
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Standout freshman Theo Papamalamis punched the Aggies' ticket to nationals after a three-set thriller on court 1. After splitting the first two sets with Danny Milavsky, Papamalamis came back with a vengeance in the third with a 6-0 sweep to send the Aggies to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the second straight year.
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Texas A&M (3-0) had a slow start in doubles action against Harvard (2-2), losing two doubles matches consecutively to put the Aggies down 0-1.
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The tide turned in singles as sophomore Tiago Pires made quick work to put the Aggies back in the running after securing a two-set sweep on court 4 against Valdemar Pape, 6-3, 6-1. Harvard took the advantage back with a win on court 2.
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Continuing the back-and-forth action between the teams was Togan Tokac, with a victory against Masato Perera on court 5, 7-5, 6-2. On court 6, Giulio Perego fought hard in three sets, coming up short as Harvard took back the lead.
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Luke Casper changed the match for the Aggies as he rebounded from a first-set setback to roll to a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win against Rohan Murali on court 3 and put the Aggies one point away from the win.
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Papamalamis secures his third victory of the season on court 1 and his second match clinch. The Aggies now join 15 other teams to compete at the ITA Team Indoor Nationals in Dallas and Waco from Feb. 14-18.
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Up Next
The Aggies are traveling to Malibu, Cali. to take on Pepperdine on Feb. 2.
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COACH'S QUOTES
Head coach Steve Denton on the grit of the team…
"Well, we did it the hard way this weekend. We didn't win the doubles on either day. The team had a great fighting spirit. We were never ahead until the very end. Harvard deserves a lot of credit; they kept the pressure on us the whole day and we were fortunate enough to pull that match out."
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Denton on Papamalamis and his determination…
"Theo once again displayed a high level of tennis IQ in the third set. He played flawlessly to clinch the match for us."
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Match Results
Singles Results
Theo Papamalamis (TAMU) def. Danny Milavsky (Harvard) 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-0
Benji Privara (Harvard) def. #60 JC Roddick (TAMU) 6-2, 6-3
Luke Casper (TAMU) def. Rohan Murali (Harvard) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
Tiago Pires (TAMU) def. Valdemar Pape (Harvard) 6-3, 6-1
Togan Tokac (TAMU) def. Masato Perera (Harvard) 7-5, 6-2
Mitchell Lee (Harvard) def. Giulio Perego (TAMU) 7-5, 0-6, 6-1
Order of finish: 4, 2, 5, 6, 3, 1
Double Results
#71 Benjamin Privara/Masato Perera (Harvard) def. #48 Luke Casper/Togan Tokac (TAMU) 6-4
David Lins/Daniel Milavsky (Harvard) def. Giulio Perego/JC Roddick (TAMU) 6-2
Theo Papamalamis/Tiago Pires (TAMU) vs. Valdemar Pape/Elisha Thornton (Harvard) 5-5, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
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Standout freshman Theo Papamalamis punched the Aggies' ticket to nationals after a three-set thriller on court 1. After splitting the first two sets with Danny Milavsky, Papamalamis came back with a vengeance in the third with a 6-0 sweep to send the Aggies to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the second straight year.
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Texas A&M (3-0) had a slow start in doubles action against Harvard (2-2), losing two doubles matches consecutively to put the Aggies down 0-1.
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The tide turned in singles as sophomore Tiago Pires made quick work to put the Aggies back in the running after securing a two-set sweep on court 4 against Valdemar Pape, 6-3, 6-1. Harvard took the advantage back with a win on court 2.
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Continuing the back-and-forth action between the teams was Togan Tokac, with a victory against Masato Perera on court 5, 7-5, 6-2. On court 6, Giulio Perego fought hard in three sets, coming up short as Harvard took back the lead.
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Luke Casper changed the match for the Aggies as he rebounded from a first-set setback to roll to a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win against Rohan Murali on court 3 and put the Aggies one point away from the win.
Â
Papamalamis secures his third victory of the season on court 1 and his second match clinch. The Aggies now join 15 other teams to compete at the ITA Team Indoor Nationals in Dallas and Waco from Feb. 14-18.
Â
Up Next
The Aggies are traveling to Malibu, Cali. to take on Pepperdine on Feb. 2.
Â
COACH'S QUOTES
Head coach Steve Denton on the grit of the team…
"Well, we did it the hard way this weekend. We didn't win the doubles on either day. The team had a great fighting spirit. We were never ahead until the very end. Harvard deserves a lot of credit; they kept the pressure on us the whole day and we were fortunate enough to pull that match out."
Â
Denton on Papamalamis and his determination…
"Theo once again displayed a high level of tennis IQ in the third set. He played flawlessly to clinch the match for us."
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Match Results
Singles Results
Theo Papamalamis (TAMU) def. Danny Milavsky (Harvard) 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-0
Benji Privara (Harvard) def. #60 JC Roddick (TAMU) 6-2, 6-3
Luke Casper (TAMU) def. Rohan Murali (Harvard) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
Tiago Pires (TAMU) def. Valdemar Pape (Harvard) 6-3, 6-1
Togan Tokac (TAMU) def. Masato Perera (Harvard) 7-5, 6-2
Mitchell Lee (Harvard) def. Giulio Perego (TAMU) 7-5, 0-6, 6-1
Order of finish: 4, 2, 5, 6, 3, 1
Double Results
#71 Benjamin Privara/Masato Perera (Harvard) def. #48 Luke Casper/Togan Tokac (TAMU) 6-4
David Lins/Daniel Milavsky (Harvard) def. Giulio Perego/JC Roddick (TAMU) 6-2
Theo Papamalamis/Tiago Pires (TAMU) vs. Valdemar Pape/Elisha Thornton (Harvard) 5-5, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3