ATLANTA (Jan. 31, 2009) The Georgia State men's tennis team fell 7-0 to No. 69 Radford on Saturday at the Sharon E. Lester Tennis Center, dropping their fourth match to start the season.
“Radford played very well, “stated head coach Jarod Camerota. “They are a very talented team and I wouldn't be surprised if they are ranked in the top 50 by the end of the season.”
Georgia State (0-4) opened the day with three losses in doubles competition. Doubles duo Nejc Podkrajsek and William Adeimy fell 8-5 to Radford's Martin Sayer and Zack Watson at No. 1. Ivan Salec and Mehdi Benhammou clinched the doubles point for the Highlanders with an 8-4 win over Lucas Thomaz and Henri Mangin at No. 2.
For the first time this season, the Panthers did not produce a point in singles competition. Ivan Salec grabbed Radford's first singles win over Henri Mangin at No. 2. Zach Watson extended Radford's lead to 3-0, defeating William Adeimy 6-3, 6-0 at No. 6. Lucas Thomaz fell 6-0, 6-2 to Stefan Bojic at No. 4, while Orlando Battaglia dropped a 6-3, 6-2 decision to Igor Ogrizek, giving Radford the win. Radford improves to 3-1 on the season.
At No. 3, Jackson Moore battled from behind and pushed his match to three sets, but eventually fell 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 to Mehdi Benhammou. State's No. 1 player, Podkrasjek, fell 6-7(4), 6-3, 10-6 to Martin Sayer to extend the score to 7-0.
Georgia State prepares for No. 55 Indiana and No. 75 Nebraska on Feb. 7 and 8th.
“We have a long week of practice before we play Indiana and Nebraska and we have to be ready to go,” said Camerota. “We have opportunities to win, but we need to go in and play well with a lot of energy and a lot of heart.”
Check GeorgiaStateSports.com for updates.
Doubles
1. Martin Sayer/Zack Watson def. Nejc Podkrajsek/William Adeimy 8-5
2. Ivan Salec/Mehdi Benhammou def. Lucas Thomaz/Henri Mangin 8-4
3. Stefan Bolic/Igor Ogrizek def. Trenton Spinks/Orlando Battaglia 8-4
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. Martin Sayer (RU) def. Nejc Podkrajsek 6-7(4), 6-3, 10-6
2. Ivan Salec (RU) def. Henri Mangin 6-1, 6-1
3. Mehdi Benhammou def. Jackson Moore 6-2, 3-6, 10-6
4. Stefan Bojic (RU) def. Lucas Thomaz 6-0, 6-2
5. Igor Ogrizek (RU) def. Orlando Battaglia 6-3, 6-2
6. Zack Watson (RU) def. William Adeimy 6-3, 6-0
Order of finish: 2, 6, 4, 5, 3, 1
