Bakshi Tabbed Big 12 Player of the Week

NORMAN – Junior Alex Bakshi of OU men's tennis has been selected as the Big 12 Men's Player of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday.

Bakshi grabbed key singles wins and a doubles victory that lifted the Sooners to wins over Fresno State and No. 41 Cornell.

"Alex won two very big matches for us at No.1 this week and helped propel the team to victory," said head coach Nick Crowell. "I feel Alex has worked very hard this season and I'm glad to see him rewarded for his strong effort and attitude."

Against Fresno State, the Tblisi, Georgia, native clinched the victory for OU after defeating Xander Veys, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, in the top spot.

In doubles, Bakshi and freshman Jake Van Emburgh were just a point away from winning the top court, leading Fresno State's Cem Erturk and Mantas Bugailiskis, 5-4, 40-15, when play was halted.

Bakshi was the first Sooner off the court at Cornell, defeating Alafia Ayeni, 7-6 (7), 6-3, at No. 1 singles. Bakshi came out on top of the first set after an extended tiebreaker, and kept the momentum going in the second frame to seal a win and give OU a 2-0 advantage in the match.

In doubles, Bakshi and Van Emburgh routed Alafia Ayeni and Lev Kazakov, 6-2, on court one to set OU up to win the point.

Bakshi brings home OU's first weekly honor this season. The junior, who joined the Sooners as a transfer, has compiled a 9-2 record on the season from the No. 1 and 2 lines, and checks in at No. 85 in the latest ITA singles release.

Bakshi and the Sooners are back in action Friday, when they host No. 19 Baylor in the Big 12 Conference opener. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT.

Promotions include free pizza and free t-shirts for all in attendance, face painting, raffle prizes, and the chance to win an Apple 4K TV.

The match will be broadcast on Fox Sports Oklahoma.

For updates, follow @OU_MTennis on Twitter.