Thursday, January 18
Evanston, IL
6 p.m.
Northwestern
3
vs
4
North Carolina State
Newcomers Impress For 'Cats Against NC State
1/18/2018 9:41:00 PM | Men's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern opened the 2018 dual season with an impressive performance from its young squad against NC State at the Combe Tennis Center. All three first-years in the singles lineup won their matches, including a victory by Antonioni Fasano over the sixteenth-ranked player in the nation.
Each team held the outright lead at different points in a back-and-forth contest that came down to the final two matches. A win at No. 2 singles by Tadas Babelis gave NC State a narrow, 4-3 victory.
After a Wolfpack win at No. 1 doubles put the visitors on the front foot, Nick Brookes and Antonioni Fasano took on the 32nd-ranked team of Alexis Galarneau and Michael Ogden at No. 2. The pair of Wildcat first-years hung tough, but dropped the set 6-3, as the win gave NC State a 1-0 lead in the match.
A pair of first-years then picked up debut wins to give the 'Cats an early advantage. Brookes won 6-4, 6-4 at No. 4 singles to put NU on the board, and Joshi followed suit at No. 6 with another straight-set win as the hosts took a 2-1 lead.
Narrow losses at No. 3 and No. 5 singles meant the Wildcats needed wins in the two remaining matches.
At No. 2 singles, Dominik Stary cruised past Tadas Babelis in the first set, before Babelis won the second to force a decisive third. In the final frame, Stary won the first four games but ended up dropping a tight, 7-5 contest. The win gave NC State the crucial fourth team point.
After falling 3-6 in the opening set, Fasano came storming back against Galarneau. Consecutive 6-2 wins gave the first-year a commanding victory over a marquee opponent in his first career match for Northwestern. The result put the final score on the evening at 4-3.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back in action on Sunday at Boise State. The match is set for 1 p.m. CT.
North Carolina State 4, Northwestern 3
Singles
No. 1 – Antonioni Fasano (NU) def. #16 Alexis Galarneau (NCST) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 – Tadas Babelis (NCST) def. Dominik Stary (NU) 1-6, 6-1, 7-5
No. 3 – Igor Saveljic (NCST) def. Ben Vandixhorn (NU) 6-4, 7-6 (9-7)
No. 4 – Nick Brookes (NU) def. Ivan Saveljic (NCST) 6-4, 6-4
No. 5 –Georgiy Malyshev (NCST) def. Chris Ephron (NU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
No. 6 – AJ Joshi (NU) def. Robert Turzak (NCST) 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: 4, 6, 3, 5, 2*, 1
Doubles
No. 1 – Igor Saveljic/Ivan Saveljic (NCST) def. Ben Vandixhorn/Dominik Stary (NU) 6-2
No. 2 – #32 Alexis Galarneau/Michael Ogden (NCST) def. Nick Brookes/Antonioni Fasano (NU) 6-3
No. 3 – Chris Ephron/Michael Lorenzini (NU) vs. Tadas Babelis/Georgiy Malyshev (NCST) 3-5, unfinished
Order of Finish: 1, 2*
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Each team held the outright lead at different points in a back-and-forth contest that came down to the final two matches. A win at No. 2 singles by Tadas Babelis gave NC State a narrow, 4-3 victory.
After a Wolfpack win at No. 1 doubles put the visitors on the front foot, Nick Brookes and Antonioni Fasano took on the 32nd-ranked team of Alexis Galarneau and Michael Ogden at No. 2. The pair of Wildcat first-years hung tough, but dropped the set 6-3, as the win gave NC State a 1-0 lead in the match.
A pair of first-years then picked up debut wins to give the 'Cats an early advantage. Brookes won 6-4, 6-4 at No. 4 singles to put NU on the board, and Joshi followed suit at No. 6 with another straight-set win as the hosts took a 2-1 lead.
Narrow losses at No. 3 and No. 5 singles meant the Wildcats needed wins in the two remaining matches.
At No. 2 singles, Dominik Stary cruised past Tadas Babelis in the first set, before Babelis won the second to force a decisive third. In the final frame, Stary won the first four games but ended up dropping a tight, 7-5 contest. The win gave NC State the crucial fourth team point.
After falling 3-6 in the opening set, Fasano came storming back against Galarneau. Consecutive 6-2 wins gave the first-year a commanding victory over a marquee opponent in his first career match for Northwestern. The result put the final score on the evening at 4-3.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back in action on Sunday at Boise State. The match is set for 1 p.m. CT.
North Carolina State 4, Northwestern 3
Singles
No. 1 – Antonioni Fasano (NU) def. #16 Alexis Galarneau (NCST) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 – Tadas Babelis (NCST) def. Dominik Stary (NU) 1-6, 6-1, 7-5
No. 3 – Igor Saveljic (NCST) def. Ben Vandixhorn (NU) 6-4, 7-6 (9-7)
No. 4 – Nick Brookes (NU) def. Ivan Saveljic (NCST) 6-4, 6-4
No. 5 –Georgiy Malyshev (NCST) def. Chris Ephron (NU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
No. 6 – AJ Joshi (NU) def. Robert Turzak (NCST) 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: 4, 6, 3, 5, 2*, 1
Doubles
No. 1 – Igor Saveljic/Ivan Saveljic (NCST) def. Ben Vandixhorn/Dominik Stary (NU) 6-2
No. 2 – #32 Alexis Galarneau/Michael Ogden (NCST) def. Nick Brookes/Antonioni Fasano (NU) 6-3
No. 3 – Chris Ephron/Michael Lorenzini (NU) vs. Tadas Babelis/Georgiy Malyshev (NCST) 3-5, unfinished
Order of Finish: 1, 2*
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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