Junior Robin Fahgen serves in a match against Lamar University last month at Turpin Tennis Stadium. (Robin Fahgen)
The SMU men’s tennis team won its fifth and sixth straight home matches Sunday, defeating the Virginia Commonwealth Rams 5-1 and the Prairie View A&M Panthers 7-0 at Turpin Tennis Stadium.
The victory against VCU avenged a 4-1 loss to the Rams last season. With Sunday’s sweep, the Mustangs moved to 12-8 this season with three matches remaining.
SMU set the tone for Sunday’s match against VCU by powering past the Rams in doubles competition. Two matches came down to the wire, and the Mustangs emerged victorious in both.
In No. 2 doubles, Darren Walsh and Adham el-Effendi rallied from a 5-3 deficit to beat Martin Schulhauser and Nicolas Vinel in a tiebreaker. VCU had jumped to an early 3-1 lead in the tiebreaker, but SMU fought back to capture the match on Walsh’s serve.
Walsh and el-Effendi have dropped only two matches this season. After playing most of the year in the No. 2 slot, they moved up to No. 1 last weekend in a road match against the University of California-Berkley and lost 8-2. Neufeld said that the duo did not play its best match Sunday, but he was proud of their effort at the end.
In the No. 3 match, Chris Hooshyar and Artem Baradach held off the pesky team of Bobo Delemark and Thibaut Charron for a 9-7 victory. Hooshyar and Baradach were up a break late in the set, but VCU’s team broke back to even the match 7-7.
The SMU duo retaliated with another break, and Hooshyar held serve to complete the match.
The Mustangs’ No. 1 tandem, Robin Fahgen and David Costa, fell to Emil Lindgren and Benjamin Bouhana, the No. 40-ranked doubles team in the nation, 8-1. Neufeld said that Fahgen had missed the last two weeks with an injury, but he refused to say where the injury occurred.
Fahgen did not show any signs of pain or fatigue in his No. 1 singles match, as he dispatched Charron 6-2, 6-2, in less than an hour. Fahgen frustrated Charron with his consistency and forced him to commit numerous unforced errors. His lopsided victory surprised even his coach.
“I was hoping he’d just get out there and fight hard,” said Neufeld. “He played great.”
Hooshyar continued his winning ways in the No. 4 singles spot, defeating Bouhanna in a rollercoaster, three-set match. Hooshyar breezed through the first set 6-2, but Bouhanna rallied with a 6-3 victory in the second set. Finally, Hooshyar broke Bouhanna’s serve early in the third set and didn’t look back in a 6-2 victory.
Walsh dropped the first set to Lindgren in No. 5 singles, but rallied for victories in the second and third sets. On Court 3, Baradach easily dispatched of Vinel, 6-4, 6-1. Costa and Schulhauser were battling in the third set of the No. 2 match when it was retired.
“It was a great win for us,” said SMU head coach Carl Neufeld. “I’m really proud of our players, and I’m excited about their continued improvement.”
Late in the match, Costa captured a pair of victories in the top spots of singles and doubles. He filled in for Fahgen in the No. 1 singles match and dominated Joshua Schavez 6-0, 6-4. He teamed with Fahgen in the No. 1 doubles match for an 8-1 victory.
“We’re good because everyone fights,” said Hooshyar. “We’ve played a lot of three-setters this year. Our main goal is to have a fighting reputation … Win or lose, we have to fight.”
In No. 6 singles, sophomore Keith Champlin captured his first collegiate victory with a 6-1, 6-1 domination.
The Mustangs return to action Friday when they face the No. 29-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys at Turpin Tennis Stadium. OSU features standout Oleksandr Nedovyesov, the No. 2-ranked singles player in the country.
