'Dogs drop close match to No. 16 Oklahoma, 4-3

NORMAN, Okla. – The Fresno State men's tennis team fell in a hard-fought 4-3 battle to No. 16 Oklahoma, Saturday afternoon.

"Our guys have been really consistent with their preparation and that made us confident going into today's match," said head coach Luke Shields. "Oklahoma is a great team and well coached. We fought hard in doubles, but came up short. It's good to have Xander back healthy and playing at an elite level. Mantas has been improving all year and it was really nice to see him break through today with a very good win. Zdenek picked up a good win over the No. 62 player in the country. It was a high level match overall and we hope to keep this momentum going into the rest of our season."

Fresno State falls to 11-9 on the season.

Doubles – Oklahoma claimed the doubles point.

The Sooners claimed wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions to clinch the points. The match at the No. 1 position was left unfinished.

Singles – Oklahoma extended its lead when Cem Erturk fell at the No. 4 position to #106 Jake Van Emburgh (6-0, 6-0). The Sooners took a 3-0 lead when Henrique Osorio was bested at the No. 6 position (6-0, 6-3).

The Bulldogs put their first dent in the scoreboard when Mantas Bugailiskis defeated his opponent in straight sets at the No. 2 position (6-4, 6-3).

The match was clinched at the No. 1 position when Xander Veys fell in tough three-set match to #73 Alex Bakshi (6-3, 4-6, 6-3).

Cagatay Soke earned another point for Fresno State after defeating his opponent in a tiebreaker at the No. 5 position.

Zdenek Derkas defeated #62 Ferran Calvo at the No. 3 position to end the match, 4-3. Derkas' victory was the first win over ranked opponent for the Bulldogs this season.

Results:
Fresno State vs Oklahoma
Mar 26, 2018 at Norman, Okla.
(Headington Family Tennis Center)

#16 Oklahoma 4, Fresno State 3

Singles competition
1. #73 Alex Bakshi (OU) def. Xander Veys (FS) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
2. Mantas Bugailiskis (FS) def. Adrian Oetzbach (OU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Zdenek Derkas (FS) def. #62 Ferran Calvo (OU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
4. #106 Jake van Emburgh (OU) def. Cem Erturk (FS) 6-0, 6-0
5. Cagatay Soke (FS) def. Max Stewart (OU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)
6. Stefano Tsorotiotis (OU) def. Henrique Osorio (FS) 6-0, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Alex Bakshi/Jake van Emburgh (OU) vs. Cem Erturk/Mantas Bugailiskis (FS) 5-4, unfinished
2. #68 Ferran Calvo/Adrian Oetzbach (OU) def. Cagatay Soke/Xander Veys (FS) 6-4
3. James Davis/Max Stewart (OU) def. Youssef Hassan/Zdenek Derkas (FS) 6-3

Match Notes:
Fresno State 11-9
Oklahoma 14-2; National ranking #16
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,6,2,1,5,3)

What's next – Due to weather conditions Fresno State's match against Oklahoma Baptist has been postponed to Tuesday, March 27 at 11:30 a.m. PT.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" - The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

'Dogs drop close match to No. 16 Oklahoma, 4-3

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mantas Bugailiskis

Zdenek Derkas

Cem Erturk

Youssef Hassan

Henrique Osorio

Cagatay Soke

Xander Veys

Fresno State Athletics