Tennis team ousted from NCAA Tournament in first round

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | The University of Alabama men’s tennis team suffered a 4-3 defeat to South Alabama Saturday afternoon at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center on the Florida State University campus, ending Alabama’s 2008 season.

USA took the lead by taking the doubles point, winning matches at No. 3 and No. 2 with the Tide’s No. 1 duo of Mathieu Thibaudeau and Daniel Buikema taking an 8-5 victory over USA’s Jack Baker and R.J. Nagel for Alabama’s only doubles win.

USA’s No. 3 tandem of Aaron Krisan/Michael O’Brien knocked off the Tide’s Sammy Struyf/Javier Bes, 8-3, to move ahead early before the Jaguars clinched the doubles point for a 1-0 match lead on the basis of a win at No. 2 with USA’s Robert Hodel/Marek Sramek defeating Alabama’s Saketh Myneni/Andrew Felsenthal, 9-7.

Alabama fought back in singles. At No. 6, Michael Jung downed USA’s Michael O’Brien in straight sets with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory. USA’s No. 34-ranked Jack Backer knocked off Alabama’s No. 68 Saketh Myneni at No. 1 to put the Jaguars up, 2-1, with a 6-4, 6-3 decision. Alabama found itself down in the match, 3-1, when USA’s R.J. Nagel defeated UA’s Daniel Buikeman by a count of 6-4, 6-3. The Tide rebounded with singles wins at No. 5 and No. 2 to tie it at 3-3 with only the No. 3 match remaining.

At No. 5, Javier Bes defeated USA’s Aaron Krisan in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, before Alabama’s Mathieu Thibaudeau knocked off USA’s Robert Hodel, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, to even it up at 3-3.

The match was decided at No. 3 in a tight three-set battle between UA’s Sammy Struyf and USA’s Marek Sramek. Struyf took the first set, 6-1, before Sramek battled back to take the second set by a 7-6 margin. Sramek took control in the third set to take the 6-2 win to seal the verdict.

Singles

1. Jack Baker (USA) d. Saketh Myneni, 6-4, 6-3

2. Mathieu Thibaudeau (ALA) d. Robert Hodel (USA) 3-6, 6-4,6-3

3. Marek Sramek (USA) d. Sammy Struyf (ALA), 4-6, 7-6, 6-2

4. R.J. Nagel (USA) d. Daniel Buikeman (ALA), 6-4, 6-3

5. Javier Bes (ALA) d. Aaron Krisan (USA), 6-3, 6-2

6. Michael Jung (ALA) d. Michael O’Brien (USA), 6-0, 6-0

Doubles

1. Jack Baker/R.J. Nagel (USA) d. No. 19 Mathieu Thibaudeau/Daniel Buikema (ALA), 8-5

2. Robert Hodel/Marek Sramek (USA) d. Saketh Myneni/Andrew Felsenthal (ALA), 9-7

3. Sammy Struyf/Javier Bes (ALA) d. Aaron Krisan/Michael O’Brien (USA), 8-3