No. 72 Indiana men’s tennis went into West Lafayette and dominated rival Purdue on Saturday. The Hoosiers lost only one match on their way to a commanding 7-0 win over the Boilermakers.
“After losing to (Purdue) at our place last year, it was great to get them back,” head coach Jeremy Wurtzman said Monday. “That was a match that we had circled at the beginning of the year.”
Following the win, Indiana has now won five of the last six meetings with Purdue.
The doubles point was tight, beginning with a Purdue win at No. 1 doubles. It’s just the second loss of the season for the Hoosier duo of fifth-year senior Patrick Fletchall and junior Ilya Tiraspolsky.
“I thought (Fletchall and Tiraspolsky) didn’t return well,” Wurtzman said. “They weren’t able to find a rhythm in the match.”
The loss was quickly avenged by a win for the Hoosiers at No. 2 doubles. With the doubles point hanging in the balance, freshman Ekansh Kumar and senior Luka Vukovic battled at No. 3 doubles to win 7-5, clinching the hard-fought doubles point for Indiana.
Playing with great confidence after winning the doubles point, the Hoosiers came out hot to start singles play. In all six singles matches, the Hoosiers took the first set.
“It’s something we’ve talked about, getting out to fast starts in singles matches,” Wurtzman said. “It’s going to be important for us to continue to do that if we want to have success this year.”
Indiana didn’t stop there, closing out the Boilermakers by winning all six of the singles matches and completing the 7-0 sweep.
Freshman Sam Landau continued his special season, winning 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3 singles. That brings his overall singles record to an impressive 10-1 this season.
“He’s been so good for us this season,” Wurtzman said. “To be doing what he’s doing at such a young age has been great to see.”
With the win, the Hoosiers improved to 11-6 on the year and begin Big Ten play 1-0. The win is also the first road win for the Hoosiers this year after dropping their first five matches away from the IU Tennis Center.
Indiana continues its Big Ten schedule with a match against a talented No. 23 Northwestern team on Friday back at home.
“They’re a great team,” Wurtzman said. “It’s going to be a tough match for us.”
The Hoosiers also play a doubleheader against the University of Illinois and Saint Louis University beginning at noon on Sunday at the IU Tennis Center.
Follow reporter Zach Browning (@ZachBrowning17) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s tennis season.
