Mens Tennis Falls in Big 12 Bedlam Battle, 4-1

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma's men's tennis team fell to No. 30 and arch rival Oklahoma State, 4-1, in the first round of the 2004 Big 12 Tennis Men's Championships at the OU Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman.

The doubles were played in Norman and the singles were moved to the Woodlake Racquet Club in Oklahoma City due to inclement weather conditions. The Sooners fall to 17-7 on the season while the Cowboys advance to 17-6.

“We fought hard,” said head coach Paul Lockwood. “Doubles was a great atmosphere at our courts with all of the fans cheering loud. It helped us build momentum to win the doubles point. I do give OSU credit for coming back and winning the match. We gave it our all and I'm proud of our guys.”

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The Sooners started off strong in doubles, claiming the doubles point after winning two of the three matches. Junior Matt Long (Ft. Worth, Texas) and sophomore Alexei Ivanov (Izhevsk, Russia) posted the first win for OU after overpowering OSU's Yevgen Bondarchuk and Boris Kuharic, 8-5, at No. 2.

It was not long until Oklahoma State tied the score, 1-1, with a win at No. 3 doubles. Sophomore Lee Gregg (Altus, Okla.) and freshman Marek Velicka (Prerov, Czech Republic) started off solid with a 4-0 lead, only to fall, 9-7, to OSU's Daniel Byrnes and Juan Felipe Diaz, marking their first conference defeat this year.

Sealing the win for the Sooners was the No. 1 duo of junior Ondrej Fukala (Prerov, Czech Republic) and sophomore Tommy Garrison (Enid, Okla.) with a stellar 8-6 finish over OSU's Tomas Bohunicky and Mark Van Elden, clinching the doubles point.

In singles play, OU fell in four matches to give the Cowboys their second Bedlam triumph this season. At the No. 3 spot, Velicka was the first Sooner to walk off the court with a loss to 109^th-ranked Tomas Bohunicky, 7-6, 6-4. In the meantime, Garrison fought hard in a three-set match against OSU's Boris Kuharic at the No. 4 spot. Garrison swept the first set, 6-3, but then fell in the last two, 3-6, 4-6.

The Sooners were now down 2-1 in the dual. At the No. 2 position, Fukala faced his own struggles as he was overcome by OSU's Yevgen Bondarchuk, 6-1, 7-5. With three matches still in action at the 1, 5, and 6 slots, the pressure was on the Sooners to have to win all of them. Ivanov slid by OSU's 23^rd-ranked Mark Van Elden in the first set, 7-6, but then came up short in the final two, 6-3, 6-4, to give Oklahoma State the win and advancement to the semifinals.

The Men's and Women's Big 12 Tennis Championships will continue with semifinal competition on Sat., May 1, in Norman. First match action is set to begin at 11 a.m., and the final games of the day will begin at 3:30 p.m.

No. 30 Oklahoma State 4, Oklahoma 1

Friday, April 30, 2004

OU Headington Family Tennis Center, Norman, Okla.

Singles

1. (#23) Mark Van Elden (OSU) def. Alexei Ivanov (OU), 6-7, 6-3, 6-4

2. Yevgen Bondarchuk (OSU) def. Ondrej Fukala (OU), 6-1, 7-5

3. Tomas Bohunicky (OSU) def. Marek Velicka (OU), 7-6, 6-4

4. Boris Kuharic (OSU) def. Tommy Garrison (OU), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

5. Daniel Byrnes (OSU) vs. Silviu Tanasoiu (OU), DNF

6. Juan Felipe Diaz (OSU) vs. Lee Gregg (OU), DNF

Doubles

1. Fukala/Garrison (OU) def. Van Elden/Bohunicky (OSU), 8-6