RENO, Nev. - The University of Nevada men's tennis team defeated No. 72 San Francisco 4-3, in come-from-behind fashion, Sunday, at Caughlin Club.
"What we did from No. 1 to No. 6 in singles was amazing," head coach Sylvain Malroux said. "Even the guys who lost their individual matches showed their support for their teammates, and it helped us win as a team."
Nevada leaned on good singles play Sunday, as USF came out strong and earned the doubles point with three 8-5 wins.
The win, which finished in dramatic fashion and ended a three match losing streak for the Wolf Pack, was decided when Wessim Derbel and Kristian Kuharszky won their singles matches.
The pair played at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, which made for an incredible finish. The first two courts at the club sit side-by-side, and because the duo's singles matches were the last to finish, spectators were able to watch the most important points of the match as they happened.
With Nevada down 3-2 and all of the other matches completed, Derbel fought through fatigue to down Ola Bakke 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 and level the match at three.
Kuharszky, spurred on by a vocal home crowd, broke USF's Richard Bucalem up 5-4 in the third set to close out his match and earn the team win for Nevada. His 6-7, 7-5, 6-4 victory was followed by a jubilant celebration from the Wolf Pack.
"I just want to say thank you to my teammates and the fans that came out and supported me," he said. "I was so tired late in the match and they really helped me to get through it."
The win moved Nevada to 4-9, while it dropped USF to 6-8. The Pack will take on Seattle University in its next match, this Friday in Reno.
Match Results
April 3, 2011
Reno, Nevada (Caughlin Club)
Nevada 4, San Francisco 3
Doubles
- 1. Bahri/Kotlyar (USF) def. Walker/Derbel (NEV) 8-5
- 2. Hartwig/Bakke (USF) def. Ouvrard/Kuharszky (NEV) 8-5
- 3. Bucalem/Jigante (USF) def. Mege/Reix (NEV) 8-5
Singles
- 1. Wessim Derbel (NEV) def. Ola Bakke (USF) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2
- 2. Kristian Kuharszky (NEV) def. Richard Bucalem (USF) 6-7, 7-5, 6-4
- 3. Victor Ouvrard (NEV) def. Jacob Hartwig (USF) 6-4, 6-3
- 4. Quentin Mege (NEV) def. Zach Jiganti (USF) 6-3, 6-1
- 5. Germain Bahri (USF) def. Nathan Reix (NEV) 6-3, 6-3
- 6. Alex Kotlyar (USF) def. Phillip Hinojosa (NEV) 6-3, 6-4
