WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A singles comeback lifted Penn State men's tennis (6-8, 6-8 B1G) to a 5-2 victory at Purdue (1-14, 1-14 B1G) in the Schwartz Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon. Freshman Miko Eala clinched the match for Penn State to give the Nittany Lions their second road win of the year and a regular season sweep over the Boilermakers.
"I felt like we finished the weekend on a good note," head coach Jeff Zinn said. "Unfortunately, Christian was injured and got hurt against Indiana, so we kept him out today. I am proud of the guys for stepping up. We've had some guys who have been injured, but we all came to play today. I thought the energy was great in doubles and singles even though we fell short in doubles. Overall, it was a total team effort."
"We squeezed this one out after not picking up the doubles point," associate head coach Paul Tobin said. "Despite Purdue's record, they fight hard especially at home. Miko got down deep and clinched the win in a back and forth tiebreak."
DOUBLES
The Boilermakers grabbed the early lead with wins at No. 2 and 3.
At No. 2, Tim Ruetzel (Munich, Germany) and Christos Antonopoulos (Athens, Greece) fell to Boilermakers' duo of Sebastian Welch and Tomasz Dudek in a 6-2 set.
On court three, Purdue's pair of Mateo Julio and Andre Suzanne secured the point with a 7-5 win over Sam Bossem (Wimborne Minster, United Kingdom) and Miko Eala (Philippines/Manacor, Spain).
Doubles partners Bora Sengul (Denizli, Turkey) and Alp Sentay (Izmar, Turkey) left their match unfinished 5-6 against Milledge Cossu and Michal Wozniak.
SINGLES
Despite losing the doubles point, the Nittany Lions battled back to win on all but one singles court.
At No. 6, Charl Morgan (Johannesburg, South Africa) defeated Santiago Galan in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 as the Nittany Lions tied up the score at one apiece.
Sentay's singles record improved to 2-2 at No. 5 as he defeated Tomasz Dudek 6-4, 6-2 to give the Nittany Lions their first lead at 2-1.
Purdue's Mateo Julio handed Sengul a loss in a 6-4, 7-5 match to tie the score at two.
To extend the Penn State lead 3-2, Ruetzel put away Sebastian Welch 6-1, 6-4, earning his eighth singles win this season.
Eala clinched the match for the Nittany Lions with a 6-2, 7-6 win over Michal Wozniak, winning the tiebreak 8-6. Eala leads the team with nine singles victories this year.
The match concluded on court five where Antonopoulos defeated Boilermakers' Milledge Cossu in three sets 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 to solidify the 5-2 win.
UP NEXT
Penn State wraps up the regular season with a two-game home stand next weekend against Michigan on Friday, April 16 and Michigan State on Sunday, April 18.
RESULTS
Penn State 5, Purdue 2
Doubles results:
1. Bora Sengul/Alp Sentay (PSU) vs. Milledge Cossu/Michal Wozniak (PUR) 5-6, unfinished
2. Sebastian Welch/Tomasz Dudek (PUR) def. Tim Ruetzel/Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) 6-2
3. Mateo Julio/Andre Suzanne (PUR) def. Sam Bossem/Miko Eala (PSU) 7-5
Order of finish: 2, 3
Singles results:
1. Mateo Julio (PUR) def. Bora Sengul (PSU) 6-4, 7-5
2. Miko Eala (PSU) def. Michal Wozniak (PUR) 6-2, 7-6(6)
3. Tim Ruetzel (PSU) Sebastian Welch (PUR) 6-1, 6-4
4. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Milledge Cossu (PUR) 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4
5. Alp Sentay (PSU) def. Tomasz Dudek (PUR) 6-4, 6-2
6. Charl Morgan (PSU) def. Santiago Galan (PUR) 6-4, 6-2
Order of finish: 6, 5, 1, 3, 2, 4
Check GoPSUSports.com for coverage of the Penn State men's tennis team during the season. Follow the team on Twitter @pennstateMTEN, Instagram @pennstatemtennis and on Facebook at facebook.com/pennstatemenstennis.