Mississippi State
Michigan State
No. 16 MSU Tennis Takes Tough 5-2 Road Decision From Spartans
January 21, 2012 | Men's Tennis
No. 16 MSU Tennis Takes Tough 5-2 Road Decision From Spartans
EAST LANSING, Mich. - In a nail-biting bout up north, the 16th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis squad (3-0) took a thrilling 5-2 victory over No. 53 Michigan State Friday night.
Earning a quick win in doubles, the Bulldog tandem of George Coupland and Artem Ilyushin took an 8-3 decision from Michigan State's Drew Lied and Mat Nelson on court 2. The doubles clinching point came from the 12th-ranked duo of Louis Cant and Malte Stropp in the top spot where they ousted the Spartan pair of Austin Brooks and Aaron Pfister 8-4 to put the Bulldogs up 1-0.
On court 3, James Chaudry and Ethan Wilkinson of Mississippi State fell behind early as they were down 6-3 to Michigan State's Denis Bogatov and Harry Judan. However, the Bulldog duo was able to fight back to a 7-7 tiebreaker but their efforts were not enough as they dropped a tough 8-7(6) decision in the last doubles match of the evening.
Although the Bulldogs took the early 1-0 lead, Michigan State fought back, taking the first sets on five of the six courts in singles play. But State would ultimately claim four three-set wins to secure the team victory.
Battling on court 2 for the Bulldogs was 79th-ranked Chaudry where he dropped a difficult 6-2, 6-1 decision to Ronnie Hulewicz, allowing Michigan State to bring the match to a 1-1 tie. However, the Bulldog senior Cant, ranked 45th nationally, broke the tie for Mississippi State as he took a 7-5, 6-1 decision over his Spartan foe Lied to at No. 4 putting the match at 2-1.
Dropping the first set 6-3 to Brooks of the Spartans, the 90th-ranked Stropp fought back to take the second 6-3 on court 3. Stropp's efforts proved successful as he breezed through the third and took the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 and widened the score to 3-1 for the Bulldogs.
Again, Michigan State battled back to close the gap as Will Davis took a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 match from Mississippi State newcomer Wilkinson at No. 6 singles, bringing the match to a close 3-2 bout.
Taking their matches to thrilling three-set decisions after dropping the first, No. 32 Coupland battled on 5 while Ilyushin took the top spot for the Bulldogs. After falling 6-3 in the first, Ilyushin battled back to a 6-4 victory in the second, taking the match to a third set. With a tough opponent in Bogatov, Ilyushin would not give in, ousting his Spartan foe 6-3 and clinching the match for the Bulldogs.
In the final result of the evening, Coupland also dropped the first set 6-3 but fought to take the second in the same fashion over Michigan State's Gils Linders. With a tight duel in the five spot, Coupland was able to serve for the match and finish off the Spartans with a 6-4 triumph and a 5-2 Bulldog victory.
Mississippi State will now pack up and travel to Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday where they will take on third-ranked Ohio State in a top-20 showdown.
The Buckeyes are led by eighth-ranked sophomore Blaz Rola with three other teammates ranked in the top-125. In doubles, Ohio State has three doubles pairs in the top-15 led by Chase Buchanan and Rola, who are the country's top-ranked tandem.
Overall the Bulldogs hold a 1-0 lead in the series, with the only meeting coming against the Buckeyes in Starkville in 1991. Match time is set for 12 p.m. CT at the Varsity Indoor Tennis Center on the Ohio State campus.
Live stats will be available at www.hailstate.com.
No. 16 Mississippi State 5, No. 53 Michigan State 2
1/20/12 - MSU Indoor Tennis Complex - East Lansing, Mich.
DOUBLES
1) #12 Louis Cant/Malte Stropp (MSU) def. Austin Brooks/Aaron Pfister (Mich. St.) 8-4
2) George Coupland/Artem Ilyushin (MSU) def. Drew Lied/Mat Nelson (Mich. St.) 8-3
3) Denis Bogatov/Harry Judan (Mich. St.) def. James Chaudry/Ethan Wilkinson (MSU) 8-7(6)
SINGLES
1) Ilyushin (MSU) def. Bogatov (Mich. St.) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
2) Ronnie Hulewicz (Mich. St.) def. #79 Chaudry (MSU) 6-2, 6-1
3) #90 Stropp (MSU) def. Brooks (Mich. St.) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
4) #45 Cant (MSU) def. Lied (Mich. St.) 7-5, 6-1
5) #32 Coupland (MSU) def. Gijs Linders (Mich. St.) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
6) Will Davis (Mich. St.) def. Wilkinson (MSU) 6-4, 7-5
Order of finish... Doubles (2, 1, 3)... Singles (2, 4, 3, 6, 1, 5)
Players Mentioned
