Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Nevada
Pair of WAC Wins for the 'Dogs
1/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 24, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - No. 45 Fresno State got off to a 2-0 start by winning both halves of a WAC doubleheader on Sunday for the 2010 home opener at the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center.
The Bulldogs first knocked off Idaho 4-0, then finished with a 4-3 win over Nevada.
Fresno State 4, Idaho 0
Because of the possibility of rain, the officials decided to start competition with singles action and played doubles only if the team victory was not clinched.
Bulldog sophomore Remi Boutillier set the tone for the team by cruising to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over the Vandals' Stanislav Glukhov.
Teammate Rikus de Villiers clinched the victory for the 'Dogs by beating Idaho's Lachlan Reed, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0.
"We had the right focus to get a quality win against a conference opponent," de Villiers said about the team effort. "We haven't had much time to practice because of the weather. It's good to get a win under our belt."
Seniors Tejesvi Veerepalli and Mirko Zapletal each recorded victories against the Vandals, in the first match of the season.
"We knew Idaho was a great team," Fresno State head coach Jay Udwadia said. "It was good to get the first-match jitters out of the way and go to work to get the win."
Fresno State 4, Nevada 3
Fresno State finished off the sweep of the home-opening doubleheader by knocking off the visiting Nevada Wolf Pack, 4-3.
The 'Dogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead when sophomore Remi Boutillier defeated the Wolf Pack's Stephan Dimitrovic, 7-5, 6-2, and senior Tejesvi Veerepalli beat Alex Daruty, 6-2, 6-0.
Nevada would not go away and won three of the next four matches, forcing the doubles matches to break the stalemate.
The 36th-ranked doubles combination of Rikus de Villiers and Boutillier ousted Daruty and Dimitrovic, 8-2. After falling behind 4-3, No. 20 Mirko Zapletal and Taylor Leiby fought back to clinched the match for the 'Dogs with their 8-5 victory over Laurent Garcin and Augustin Myard.
"It was a good win to come back in doubles," Leiby said. "It meant a lot after such an exhausting match for the whole team."
Veerepalli and Siddharth Alapati finished the sweep of doubles with an 8-5 win over Wessim Derbel and Kristian Kuharszky.
"It was a well-fought match and it's good to get a close one under your belt early on in the season," Fresno State head coach Jay Udwadia said. "The team responded well when the pressure was on. Now our focus is on Pacific."
The 'Dogs move to 2-0 on the season and in WAC play. Their next match will be on Tuesday against Pacific at the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center.
NCAA MEN'S TENNIS
Jan. 24, 2010 - Fresno, Calif.
No. 45 Fresno State 4, Idaho 0
Singles
1. Mirko Zapletal (FS) def. Artem Kuznetsov (IDA), 6-4, 6-2
2. Rikus de Villiers (FS) def. Lachlan Reed (IDA), 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
3. Tejesvi Veerepalli (FS) def. Adrian Simon (IDA), 6-2, 6-1
4. Remi Boutillier (FS) def. Stanislov Glukhov (IDA), 6-0, 6-0
5. No. 83 David Ayoun (FS) vs. Alex Joitoiu (IDA), DNF
6. Siddharth Alapati (FS) vs. Alan Shin (IDA), DNF
Order of Completion: 4, 3, 1, 2*
No. 45 Fresno State 4, Nevada 3
Singles
1. Wessim Derbel (NEV) def. Mirko Zapletal (FS), 7-5, 7-5
2. Laurent Garcin (NEV) def. Rikus de Villiers (FS), 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
3. Tejesvi Veerepalli (FS) def. Alex Daruty (NEV), 6-2, 6-0
4. Remi Boutillier (FS) def. Stephan Dimitrovic (NEV), 7-5, 6-2
5. No. 83 David Ayoun (FS) def. Augustin Myard (NEV), 6-1, 6-0
6. Kristian Kuharszky (NEV) def. Taylor Leiby (FS), 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
Order of Completion: 5, 3, 2, 4, 1, 6
Doubles
1. No. 36 Boutillier/de Villiers (FS) def. Daruty/Dimitrovic (NEV), 8-2
2. No. 20 Zapletal/Leiby (FS) def. Garcin/Myard (NEV), 8-5
3. Alapati/Veerepalli (FS) def. Derbel/Kuharszky (NEV), 8-5
Order of Completion: 1, 2*, 3
"We Are Your Team" - Make plans to be there for the Fresno State home-opening doubleheader on Jan. 24, against Idaho and Nevada. For all the up to date information on Fresno State men's tennis stay logged on to gobulldogs.com.
Players Mentioned
