MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Fifty-first ranked Indiana won four of the six singles matches to overcome losing the doubles point and defeat 67th-ranked Middle Tennessee, 4-3, in men's tennis action Saturday at the Racquet Club. The Blue Raiders (0-1) won two of the three doubles matches to win the doubles point and were up, 3-2, when the final two singles matches went on the court. But IU's David Bubenicek made quick work of Middle Tennessee's Brandon Allan, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 5 before Tom Bagnato took care of Rishan Kuruppu, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 6 to give the Hoosiers (1-1) the victory.
Middle Tennessee started well in its dual match opener, winning at Nos. 2 and 3 in doubles to win the opening point.
IU's Ryan Recht and John Stone defeated 30th-ranked Trevor Short and Kirk Jackson at No. 1, 8-4, but the 46th-rated Blue Raider tandem of Brandon Allan and Kai Schledorn won 8-5 at No. 2 over Jakub Praibis and Ryan McCarthy. The Blue Raiders won the point when Andreas Siljestrom and Rishan Kuruppu defeated Neil Kenner and Dmytro Ishtuganov, 9-7, at No. 3.
The Hoosiers made up for the doubles point loss with a pair of wins at the top spots in singles.
Praibis took care of Jackson, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 1, and Recht defeated Short, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 2.
But the Blue Raider freshmen gave their squad the lead, as Siljestrom won 6-4, 7-5, over Kenner at No. 3, while Schledorn dominated McCarthy at No. 4, 6-1, 6-3, giving Middle Tennessee the 3-2 edge with just two matches to play.
But the Hoosiers were too strong at the bottom of the lineup, sending the Blue Raiders to defeat with the wins from Bubenicek and Bagnato.
Middle Tennessee hits the road for its next week, at Arkansas-Little Rock next Saturday, before returning home on February 7 to face Louisville and Belmont at the Racquet Club.
#51 Indiana 4, #67 Middle Tennessee 3
SINGLES
1. Jakub Praibis def. Kirk Jackson, 6-2, 6-2
2. Ryan Recht def. Trevor Short, 6-2, 6-4
3. Andreas Siljestrom def. Neil Kenner, 6-4, 7-5
4. Kai Schledorn def. Ryan McCarthy, 6-1, 6-3
5. David Bubenicek def. Brandon Allan, 6-1, 6-2
6. Tom Bagnato def. Rishan Kuruppu, 6-3, 6-4
DOUBLES
1. Recht-John Stone def. Jackson-Short, 8-4
2. Allan-Schledorn def. Praibis-McCarthy, 8-5
3. Siljestrom-Kuruppu def. Kenner-Dmytro Ishtuganov, 9-7
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