College Tennis News - #10 Men's Tennis Drops Close Match to #5 Texas

HOUSTON, TX-- The 10th-ranked Texas A&M men's tennis team battled the No. 5 Texas Longhorns in the annual Texas Cup held at the Downtown Club at The Met late Friday and the Horns edged the Aggies, 4-3.

"This was a barn burner," head coach Steve Denton said. "Every match was closely contested. We feel we can play better, and we will, but this is just the type of match we needed at this stage of the season. Because we played this match, we will be better down the line."

"A couple of the disappointing things we lost the doubles point after being up a service break in each of those matches, and then we won five of the six first sets and could not close out the match."

The first two doubles matches were split with top-ranked Aggie duo of Austin Krajicek and Jeff Dadamo beating fifth-ranked Ed Corrie and Jean Andersen, 9-8 (3). Texas had won at the #3 line with Ben Chen and Vasko Mladenov defeating Alberto Bautista and Colin Hoover, 8-6.

It came down the to the #2 doubles match and the No. 25-ranked duo of Kellen Damico and David Holiner edged Junior Ore and Alexey Grigorov, 9-7.

At the top of the lineup, the Aggies received straight set wins byKrajicek (6-3, 7-6 (0) and Dadamo (6-3, 6-3) and Alexis Klegou defeatedAndersen at the No. 3 line in a three-set thriller, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6.

Chendefeated Grigorov, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 at the No. 4 position and Mladenov rallied to defeat Hoover, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 at the No. 5 line.

The match that clinched the victory for Texas was at #6 where Texas' Daniel Whitehead defeated the Aggies' Alberto Bautista, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4.

The Aggies fall to 3-1 on the young season and Texas improves to 6-0. Both of these teams have earned the right to participate in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle later this month.
No. 5 Texas 4, No.10 Texas A&M 3

Doubles - Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
1 #1 Jeff Dadamo/Austin Krajicek (TAMU) def. #5 Ed Corrie/Jean Andersen (UT) - 9-8 (3)
2 #25 Kellen Damico/David Holiner (UT) def. Junior Ore/Alexey Grigorov (TAMU) - 9-7
3 Chen/Mladenov (UT) def. Bautista/Hoover (TAMU) - 8-6

Singles - Order of Finish: 2, 1, 4, 5, 6, 3
1 #23 Austin Krajicek (TAMU) def. Ed Corrie (UT) - 6-3, 7-6 (0)
2 #54 Jeff Dadamo (TAMU) def. Kellen Damico (UT) - 6-3, 6-3
3 #106 Alexis Klegou (TAMU) def. Jean Andersen (UT) - 6-4, 2-6, 7-6
4 #100 Ben Chen (UT) def. Alexey Grigorov (TAMU) - 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
5 #78 Vasko Mladenov (UT) def. #95 Colin Hoover (TAMU) - 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
6 Daniel Whitehead (UT) def. Alberto Bautista (TAMU) - 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4