The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Auburn
Blazer Tennis Team Falls To No. 28 Auburn, 4-0
2/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 7, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB men's tennis team had high hopes heading into Sunday's dual match with No. 28 Auburn.
The Blazers had won their last three matches and felt they had the makings for an upset against the visiting Tigers.
But it was Auburn (1-2) that won the key points en route to a 4-0 victory over UAB at the Lakeshore Tennis Center. The match was played outdoors and play was halted due to the poor weather conditions once the clinching fourth point was achieved.
"We just didn't capitalize when we had the opportunities today," said UAB head coach Derek Tarr, an All-American himself at Auburn in the early 1980s. "I'm not faulting our guys for a lack of effort, but we have to start believing in ourselves. That's what I told them after the match."
Tarr said he thought the tone for the match was set in doubles when the teams split matches at No. 1 and 3 before the Tigers rallied from a 5-3 deficit at No. 2 to win by a 9-7 score.
"That was a big match," Tarr said. "We were up 5-3 at No. 2 and had two double-break points to go up 6-3. But we couldn't close it out. After we lost the doubles point, I thought we lost some of our edge. It was almost as if our guys had a letdown after we didn't win doubles."
At No. 1 doubles, Auburn's sixth-ranked duo of Tim Puetz and Alex Stamchev took an 8-3 win over UAB's Alex Emery and Danny Manlow. The Blazers' No. 3 team of Tom Puetz (Tim's brother) and David Zimmerman defeated Lucas Lopasso and Michel Monteiro, 9-8.
But it was the Tigers' No. 2 tandem of Tim Hewitt and Andreas Mies that rallied from the 5-3 deficit to win 9-7 over Tyrone Ewels and Daniel Moser.
After taking a 1-0 lead with the win in doubles, the Tigers (1-2) then went on to put the match away with wins at No. 1, 4 and 5 singles. Tim Puetz, ranked No. 24 nationally, was the first to win in singles as he downed UAB's Dan Cornei, 6-2, 6-1.
At No. 4 singles, Auburn's Mies was a 6-0, 6-4 winner over Moser while Oliver Strecker won in straight sets at No. 5 over UAB's Tom Puetz (Tim's brother).
UAB was performing better in the remaining singles matches on the court. Thomas Petrich was up 6-4, 2-6, 2-0 at No. 6 over Lopasso, Manlow trailed at No. 2 but was rallying against Hewitt, 6-7, 4-1 and Zimmerman was down 4-6, 5-4 at No. 3 singles.
"The match was probably closer than the score would indicate, but you have to give Auburn credit," said Tarr. "They won big points and did what they had to do."
UAB will be back in action next Friday when the Blazers play host to Kennesaw State. The match is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Lakeshore Tennis Center.
No. 28 Auburn 4, UAB 0
Doubles
No. 1 - Tim Puetz/Alex Stamchev (AU) (6) def. Alex Emery/DannyManlow (UAB) 8-3
No. 2 - Andreas Mies/Tim Hewitt (AU) def. Tyrone Ewels/Daniel Moser (UAB) 9-7
No. 3 - Tom Puetz/David Zimmermann (UAB) def. Lucas Lopasso/Michel Monteiro (AU) 9-8
Singles
No. 1 - Tim Puetz (AU) (24) def. Dan Cornei (UAB) (118) 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 - Danny Manlow (UAB) vs. Tim Hewitt (AU) 6-7, 4-1
No. 3 - David Zimmermann (UAB) vs. Alex Stamchev (AU) (86) 4-6, 5-4
No. 4 - Andreas Mies (AU) def. Daniel Moser (UAB) 6-0, 6-4
No. 5 - Oliver Strecker (AU) def. Tom Puetz (UAB) 6-3, 7-5
No. 6 - Thomas Petrich (UAB) vs. Lucas Lopasso (AU) 6-4, 2-6, 2-0
Records: UAB 3-2, Auburn 1-2
Players Mentioned
