Michigan State University
Purdue
Michigan State Drops Heartbreaker to Purdue, 5-2
4/20/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 20, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Looking to climb in the Big Ten standings, the Michigan State men's tennis team suffered a tough 5-2 defeat at the hands of No. 44 Purdue Saturday (April 20). The Spartans are now tied with Wisconsin for ninth in the conference as MSU falls to 2-7 in the Big Ten and 14-10 overall.
Tied overall at 1-1 in doubles, Purdue's (10-10, 5-4) Scott Mayer and Dan Swan broke serve over MSU's No. 1 duo of juniors Adam Hourani (Lansing, Mich.) and Jimmy McGuire (Columbus, Ohio) to take the match, 8-6, and the opening point. Sophomore Chris Mitchell (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and freshman Andrew Formanczyk (Rochester Hills, Mich.) picked up the lone win at No. 3, defeating Seth McKinley and Derek Miller, 8-3.
Michigan State made it close in singles, getting wins from Formanczyk and junior Goran Topalo (Prague, Czech Republic) and sending two other matches to three sets. Formanczyk, a Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate, breezed past Miller at No. 2, 6-3, 6-1, for his 23rd victory for the season. Topalo improved to .500 at singles by winning his 15th match of the year with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat over Carl McCafferty at No. 3.
Mitchell came out strong at No. 1 by winning the first set over Mayer, 6-3, but in the second set, Mitchell's luck ran out. He suffered a slightly sprained ankle and dropped two match points, ultimately losing the set, 7-5. After losing three games in the third, he was forced to retire, giving the Boilermakers the four points they needed for the win. McGuire would also split sets at No. 4 to Andrew Wakefield, but he also was unable to capitalize on a handful of match points, falling 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.
The Spartans conclude the regular season Sunday (April 21) with a trip to Bloomington, Ind., against last-place Indiana at noon CT. The match could determine the seed Michigan State receives for the Big Ten Championships, which get underway Thursday (April 25) in Columbus, Ohio.
Saturday's Results Against No. 44 PurdueDoublesNo. 1 Mayer/Swan (PUR) def. Hourani/McGuire (MSU) 8-6No. 2 Al-Agba/McCafferty (PUR) def. Jonckheere/Topalo (MSU) 8-6No. 3 Formanczyk/Mitchell (MSU) def. McKinley/Miller (PUR) 8-3
SinglesNo. 1 Scott Mayer (PUR) def. Chris Mitchell (MSU) 3-6, 7-5, 3-0 ret.No. 2 Andrew Formanczyk (MSU) def. Derek Miller (PUR) 6-3, 6-1No. 3 Goran Topalo (MSU) def. Carl McCafferty (PUR) 6-4, 6-2No. 4 Andrew Wakefield (PUR) def. Jimmy McGuire (MSU) 3-6, 6-1, 7-5No. 5 Laith Al-Agba (PUR) def. Cameron Marshall (MSU) 6-1, 6-4No. 6 Troy Havens (PUR) def. Eric Simonton (MSU) 6-2, 6-2No. 44 Purdue defeats Michigan State, 5-2.
