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Men's Tennis Team Reaches Title Match In Boise
3/23/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 23, 2012
UAB-Utah Results | UAB-Nevada Results
BOISE, Idaho ----- The UAB men's tennis team won twice Friday -- its fifth and sixth consecutive victories -- to advance to Saturday's championship match of the Boise State Spring Break Classic.
The No. 73-ranked Blazers (13-3) captured straight set wins at four of six singles positions to defeat Utah, 4-2, before coming back later in the day to blank Nevada, 4-0. The win over the Wolfpack was UAB's second this week. The Blazers downed Nevada, 5-2, here on Tuesday.
UAB will now move into Saturday's title match against host Boise State. The No. 42-ranked Broncos advanced to the championship by defeating No. 65-ranked Southern Miss., 6-1, Friday.
The Blazers won singles matches at the No. 1-4 positions against Utah (9-5). Danny Manlow was a 6-4, 6-1 winner at No. 1 over the Utes' Benito Suriano while David Zimmerman downed Dmytro Mamedov at No. 2, 6-4, 6-2. It was Zimmerman's win that gave UAB its fourth team point and clinched the victory.
Chris Helliar cooled off Utah freshman Slim Hamza at No. 3 singles, 6-3, 6-1. Hamza came into the match with a 12-1 overall record and an eight-match win streak.
Daniel Moser also won in straight sets, defeating Utah's Rafael Davidian, 6-3, 7-5, at No. 4 singles.
The Utes claimed their only wins with hard-fought victories at No. 5 and 6 singles. Devin Lane defeated UAB's Lucas Dirube, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 5 singles while Alejandro Medinilla got past the Blazers' Tom Puetz at No. 6, 6-4, 6-4.
The six-match win streak for UAB is its longest of the season.
All six matches against the Utes (9-5) were decided in straight sets.
Against Nevada, the Blazers grabbed a 1-0 lead with their win in doubles and then won a trio of straight-set decisions to put the Wolfpack away. Manlow gave UAB its fourth point with his win at No. 1 singles, 7-6, 6-3, over Nevada's Wessim Derbel,
Dirube gave UAB its second point as he defeated Jordan Rozenfeld, 6-1, 6-0, at the No. 5 spot. Zimmerman also claimed a singles win as he beat Victor Ouvrard, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 1 singles.
The UAB/Boise State match Saturday is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. MT.
UAB 4, Utah 2
Singles
1. Danny Manlow (UAB) def. Benito Suriano (UTAH), 6-4, 6-1
2. David Zimmerman (UAB) def. Dmytro Mamedov (UTAH), 6-4, 6-2
3. Chris Helliar (UAB) def. Slim Hamza (UTAH), 6-3, 6-1
4. Daniel Moser (UAB) def. Rafael Davidian (UTAH), 6-3, 7-5
5. Devin Lane (UTAH) def. Lucas Dirube (UAB), 6-4, 6-4
6. Alejandro Medinilla (UTAH) def. Tom Puetz (UAB), 6-4, 6-4
UAB 4, Nevada 0
Doubles
1. Zimmerman/Puetz (UAB) def. Derbel/Suango (NEV), 8-3
2. Manlow/Moser (UAB) def. Ouvrard/Mege (NEV), 8-3
3. Echarquil/Reix (NEV) def. Helliar/Dirube (UAB), 8-3
Singles
1. Danny Manlow (UAB) def. Wessim Derbel (NEV), 7-6, 6-3
2. David Zimmerman (UAB) def. Victor Ouvrard (NEV), 6-2, 6-2
3. Chris Helliar (UAB) vs. Moez Echarquil (NEV), DNF
4. Daniel Moser (UAB) vs. Fernando Suango (NEV), DNF
5. Lucas Dirube (UAB) def. Jordan Rozenfeld (NEV), 6-1, 6-0
6. Tom Puetz (UAB) vs. Quentin Mege (NEV), DNF
