University of Oregon
Minnesota
Win Streak Snapped at Five in Minnesota
02/19/17 | Men's Tennis
THOMAS LAURENT WINS 13TH-STRAIGHT SINGLES MATCH BUT DUCKS FALL TO MINNESOTA, 5-2
MINNEAPOLIS - The Oregon men's tennis team saw its five-match winning streak end on Sunday afternoon with a 5-2 loss to Minnesota at the Baseline Tennis Center.
How it Happened: The Ducks (8-2) started the match well by winning the doubles point for the seventh match in a row to take a 1-0 lead. The duo of Thomas Laurent and Cormac Clissold, ranked 33rd in the country, improved to an impressive 28-3 all-time together with a 6-3 win at No. 2, and Simon Stevens and Akihiro Tanaka clinched the point with a 6-3 victory at the third spot.
Minnesota (9-2) took control of the match in singles play. The Golden Gophers' Felix Corwin got his team on the board with a 6-0, 6-3 defeat of the Ducks' Simon Stevens on the second court, and Marino Alpeza (MINN) took down Ethan Young-Smith at the No. 6 spot, 6-2, 6-2, to put the Golden Gophers ahead, 2-1.
The Ducks' Thomas Laurent, the 38th-ranked singles player in the nation, continued his dominant singles play to pull the match to a tie, 2-2. Laurent beat No. 51 Matic Spec, 6-3, 6-3, to win his 13th match in a row and remain unbeaten in the spring.
Oregon was unable to secure any more points, however, as the Golden Gophers claimed the final three singles matches to secure the win. No. 113 Stefan Milicevic (MINN) beat the Ducks' Jayson Amos in three sets, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, on the third court, Eli Ogilvy (MINN) edged out Akihiro Tanaka, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, and Josip Krstanovic (MINN) defeated Cormac Clissold, 7-5, 6-4.
Laurent Continues to Roll: Thomas Laurent has been as stellar as they come so far in his sophomore season, as the native of Montpellier, France, improved to 19-2 in singles this season, 38-8 in his career and 13-0 in his career at the No. 1 singles spot. Laurent's current 13-match winning streak is only two shy of the program-record of 15, set by Stevens (2015) and Robin Cambier (2012).
Notable: Laurent and Clissold won again in doubles to improve to 28-3 all-time together, moving them into a tie for eighth in UO history … Sunday's match was the first time all season the Ducks failed to win more than one singles match.
Quotable: Head Coach Nils Schyllander
"Our execution and energy was great in doubles, but for some reason it did not translate over across the board into singles. We made a push, but in the end it was just not enough. Thomas was terrific once again, he is really playing some incredible tennis right now and is a huge force for us at the top of the lineup."
Up Next: The Ducks will return home for a pair of matches against BYU and Drake next weekend at the Student Tennis Center.
Players Mentioned
