MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The 36th-ranked Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders dropped a 4-3 decision to 39th-ranked South Alabama Friday afternoon in men's tennis action at the Buck Bouldin Tennis Center, with the Jaguars winning the doubles point and three of the first four completed singles matches to take the victory.
The Blue Raiders dropped to 13-5 on the season, while South Alabama improved to 11-8 for the year.
The visiting Jaguars took the doubles point after being down in the deciding match. The 26th-ranked duo of Oliver Foreman and Robert Gustafsson won at No. 1 for the Blue Raiders, defeating Clinton Jacobs and Christian Thall, 8-3. At No. 3 South Alabama's Kosta Zinchanka and Evan Fowler defeated Michael Staniak and Trevor Short, 8-2, to even the doubles play.
Middle Tennessee's 46th-ranked Daniel Klemetz and Kirk Jackson went ahead 4-3 over Heinrich Heyl and Vincent Baudat, but the South Alabama pairing won five of the last six games to take an 8-5 victory and give the Jaguars the doubles point.
South Alabama won at No. 6 singles, with Jacobs defeating Jackson, 6-3, 6-0, and Heyl won a first-set tiebreaker over Foreman and went on to a 7-6, 6-2 victory.
Staniak kept hopes alive for the Blue Raiders with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win over Jullien Gillet at No. 4, but Zlatko Stupavsky defeated Greg Pollack in hard-fought match, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Pollack led 3-2 in the final set before Stupavsky won four of the last five games for the victory. The match was Pollack's first singles play for the Blue Raiders since February 5 against Chattanooga.
No. 14 Daniel Klemetz overcame a loss in the first-set tiebreaker to defeat Thall, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-0, and 105th-ranked Robert Gustafsson won 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 over Baudat at No. 2.
The Blue Raiders conclude home play Sunday with a 1 p.m. match against Louisiana-Lafayette. Middle Tennessee has Sunday's match and an April 10 tilt at Vanderbilt remaining before the Sun Belt Conference Championships in Mobile, Ala., scheduled for April 19-21.
#39 SOUTH ALABAMA 4, #36 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 3
SINGLES
(14) Daniel Foreman (MT) def. Christian Thall (USA) 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-0
(105) Robert Gustafsson (MT) def. Vincent Baudat (USA) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
Heinrich Heyl (USA) def. Oliver Foreman (MT) 7-6 (4), 6-3
Michael Staniak (MT) def. Jullien Gillet (USA) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
Zlatko Stupavsky (USA) def. Greg Pollack (MT) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
Clinton Jacobs (USA) def. Kirk Jackson (MT) 6-3, 6-0
DOUBLES
1. (26) Foreman-Gustafsson (MT) def. Jacobs-Thall (USA) 8-3
2. Heyl-Baudat (USA) def. (46) Klemetz-Jackson (MT) 8-5
3. Kosta Zinchanka-Evan Fowler (USA) def. Short-Staniak (MT) 8-2
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