Alabama
South Carolina
Kaukovalta Clinches Win Against UAB, Alabama Falls to No. 9 South Carolina
4/10/2022 10:21:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Kaukovalta recorded the deciding point with a three-set victory on court two to take a 4-3 win over the Blazers on Senior Day
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. –– In his final match at the Alabama Tennis Stadium, senior Patrick Kaukovalta rallied to take a 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3 decision and break a 3-3 tie with UAB in the Crimson Tide's second match on Sunday. Alabama (8-18, 0-10 SEC) would split the day, falling 7-0 to No. 9 South Carolina (20-5, 9-2 SEC), before its 4-3 victory over UAB (7-13) concluded its final home match of the season.
After splitting the opening two sets, 5-7, 7-6 (3), Kaukovalta found himself trailing UAB's Roman Postolka 3-0 in the final set and match of the night. The Crimson Tide senior would take the next six games to secure the win and clinch the team victory with a 6-3 third-set score.
The Match Against South Carolina
- The ninth-ranked Gamecocks clinched the match after taking the doubles point and winning courts three, six and two, respectively, in singles
- The pairing of Enzo Aguiard and Juan Martin led Alabama in doubles action, clinching a 6-3 win on court two against Raphael Lambling and James Story
- In singles, German Samofalov went into a third set against Lambling, but fell 7-5, 1-6, 1-0 (7) in a contested matchup on court four
- 60th-ranked Filip Planinsek saw a second-set tiebreaker against the third-ranked singles player in the country, Daniel Rodrigues, as he lost 6-1, 7-6 (5) to the Gamecocks' No. 1
The Match Against UAB
- Planinsek and Kaukovalta rushed out to 6-3 victory on court one over UAB's doubles duo of Michal Lusovsky and Roman Postolka
- Moments later, Samofalvo and Joao Ferreira posted a 6-2 score against Nikola Puric and Thanos Spyropoulos on court three to give Alabama a 1-0 start
- Samofalov followed his performance in doubles with a straight set victory in singles, going 6-2, 6-4 against Vojtech Podzemny on court three
- Zach Foster moved UA out to a 3-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-1 win on court five against Martin Vasquez but the Blazers recorded wins on courts six, four and one, respectively, to even the score at 3-3
- In his final match at the Alabama Tennis Stadium, Patrick Kaukovalta fought his way into a third set on court two against Roman Postolka after dropping a 5-7 decision in set one and clinching set two in a 7-3 tiebreaker
- With the team win dependent upon a third set victory, Kaukovalta rallied to overcome a 0-3 start, taking six straight games to close out the match with the win
Next
- Alabama concludes the regular season next weekend, traveling to Tennessee on Friday before heading to Georgia on Sunday
Results Against South Carolina
Doubles:
1. #28 Daniel Rodrigues/Connor Thomson (SC) def. Patrick Kaukovalta/Filip Planinsek (UA) 6-4
2. Enzo Aguiard/Juan Martin (UA) def. Raphael Lambling/James Story (SC) 6-3
3. Toby Samuel/Casey Hoole (SC) def. Joao Ferreira/ German Samofalov (UA) 6-1
Order of Finish (3,2,1)
Singles:
1. #3 Daniel Rodrigues def. #60 Filip Planinsek (UA) 6-1, 7-6 (5)
2. #66 Toby Samuel (SC) def. Enzo Aguiard (UA) 6-3, 6-4
3. Connor Thomson (SC) def. Patrick Kaukovalta (UA) 6-3, 6-3
4. Raphael Lambling (SC) def. German Samofalov (UA) 7-5, 1-6, 1-0 (7)
5. James Story (SC) def. Joao Ferreira (UA) 6-4, 6-4
6. Casey Hoole (SC) def. Zach Foster (UA) 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish (3,6,2,5,1,4)
Results Against UAB
Doubles:
1. Patrick Kaukovalta/Filip Planinsek (UA) def. Michal Lusovsky/Roman Postolka (UAB)
2. Enzo Aguiard/Juan Martin (UA) vs. Parker Bradbary/Vojtech Podzemny (UAB) 2-5, unfinished
3. Joao Ferreira/ German Samofalov (UA) def. Nikola Puric/Thanos Spyropoulos (UAB)
Order of Finish (1,3)
Singles:
1. Michal Lusovsky (UAB) def. Enzo Aguiard (UA) 7-6 (5), 6-4
2. Patrick Kaukovalta (UA) def. Roman Postolka (UAB) 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3
3. German Samofalov (UA) def. Vojtech Podzemny (UAB) 6-2, 6-4
4. Thanos Spyropoulos (UAB) def. Joao Ferreira (UA) 6-4, 6-3
5. Zach Foster (UA) def. Martin Vasquez (UAB) 6-3, 6-1
6. Noah Malige (UAB) def. Rudi Christiansen (UA) 6-4, 6-3
Order of Finish (3,5,6,4,1,2)
Get all the latest information on the team by following AlabamaMTN on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
– UA –
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,6,2,5,1,4
Players Mentioned
