Indiana men’s tennis lost to the University of Memphis on Sunday inside the IU Tennis Center in Bloomington. After Indiana lost its first match of the year in heartbreaking fashion against Boise State University, the Hoosiers were tasked with an opportunity to bounce back with a victory at home.
Memphis held a record of 6-7 heading into this contest while being 1-4 in road matches. However, despite the poor record, it had won four matches in a row heading into the match against Indiana.
In doubles play, the Hoosiers came out in fast fashion. Indiana associate head coach Mike Murray said the quality of doubles play Sunday was “encouraging” to see, but singles play needs to improve to be successful.
“Doubles play was solid for our group,” Murray said after the match. “We got a lot of early points, and it led to us getting the doubles point. I do think we can improve early in singles (play).”
Indiana was without its No. 1 player Facundo Yunis due to an injury he sustained against Drake University on Feb. 14. Performing without their best player on the court was a challenge for the Hoosiers.
The Tigers took the first game of doubles play on court No. 3. Memphis’ tandem of sophomore Moritz Kudernatsch and senior Harry Rock cruised past freshman Braeden Gelletich and sophomore Ben Pomeranets 6-1.
But the Hoosiers fought back. Indiana won 6-4 on court No. 2, backed by junior Sam Scherer and freshman Matteo Antonescu, over Memphis senior Pablo Alemany and freshman Michael Kouame. With the win, the doubles point came down to the result on court No. 1.
The match on court No. 1 was a back-and-forth affair. Indiana eventually squeaked out the victory and took the doubles point. Hoosier graduate student Michael Andre and junior Jip van Assendelft beat senior Conor Gannon and redshirt sophomore Sam Reeve 7-5.
With the doubles point secured, Indiana had the advantage, leading 1-0 over Memphis in the match. In spite of the gutsy doubles point win, Indiana struggled in singles play all afternoon.
Murray believed Indiana needed to start faster in singles play to compete in the match, something it struggled with for this match in particular.
“We started slow, yet we had opportunities to turn it around — we just need to come out of the gates faster in singles play,” Murray said. “We’ll work on improving in singles play during the break we have.”
Memphis drew the first blood of singles play on court No. 2. Alemany defeated Andre 6-2, 6-3 in dominating fashion. With Alemany’s win, the Tigers tied the match at 1.
Although Memphis held the momentum after the win on No. 2, Pomeranets regained the power right back for Indiana. He came out on top as he beat Kouame 6-4, 6-3 on court No. 3. With the win by Pomeranets, Indiana took the lead 2-1 in the match.
Again, though, Memphis fought back for a second time and took the lead. Rock defeated Gelletich 6-2, 6-3 on court No. 5 to tie the match up at 2. Shortly thereafter, redshirt freshman Luis Sandoval Carvalho prevailed over Antonescu. The Tigers held a 3-2 lead after Carvalho’s victory.
With Memphis only one point away, it came down to the result on court No. 1. Gannon eventually defeated Indiana’s van Assendelft by a score of 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) to clinch the road victory for the Tigers.
The match on court No. 4 between Indiana’s Scherer and Memphis’ Kudernatsch remained unfinished. When it was all said and done, Memphis defeated Indiana by a final score of 4-2.
After the game, Murray said the last two losses were a hard pill to swallow but that the team needs to look forward to their two-week break before beginning Big Ten Conference play against UCLA.
Looking ahead, the Hoosiers' next match will be on the road against the UCLA Bruins on March 7 in Los Angeles. With the loss, Indiana falls to a record of 9-2 overall.
“After the last week where we’ve played five games in nine days, it will be nice to have a break,” Murray said. “Getting rest before we head to Los Angeles is important for the team. I strongly believe that we can play better overall, but we need to show that fight on the court.”
Follow reporter Elakai Anela (elakai_anela) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s tennis season.
