NEBRASKA (SMU) – SMU men's tennis defeated Nebraska in an incredibly entertaining 4-3 match which came down to the final point. Pranav Kumar sealed the win for the Mustangs with resilient play in the final set. SMU improves its record to 5-3, while the Cornhuskers fall to 3-4. SMU has now won two in a row and are 1-0 on the road this season.

The Cornhuskers struck first, taking the doubles point in dramatic fashion. After winning 6-4 in the No. 1 spot, Nebraska outlasted SMU's No. 3 pairing 7-6 in a back and forth tiebreak. No. 2 doubles was also tied 6-6, and in a tiebreak, when the point was taken.

Sophomore Adam Neff brought the score level, dominating No. 2 singles in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. Neff improved to 3-0 in the No. 2 position this season. Nebraska struck again, taking a 2-1 lead after winning No. 6 in straight sets.

SMU once again leveled the score, 2-2, as Liam Krall won in his first No. 3 singles match of the year. Krall took the first and third set (6-3, 4-6, 6-2).

Nebraska pulled back ahead and one win away from victory, taking No. 5 singles.

The Mustangs started their final comeback as senior Caleb Chakravarthi defeated Nebraska's No. 1 in three sets. With the score tied 3-3, No. 4 singles were set to determine the overall winner. Kumar trailed 5-3 in the third set, but battled through six match points to force a tiebreak. Full of confidence, the senior pulled ahead in the tiebreak and never looked back, winning 7-5 to claim victory for SMU (6-2, 5-7, 7-6).

After the match, Coach Chen stated, "Gutsy road win. This is a very good team and our boys kept fighting. Credit to our coaching staff for helping getting our players to execute our game plan. Pranav has been doing all the right things and it's so positive to see him come out on top. With each match, the boys have gotten better. Time to go home."

Win Streaks
SMU's Student-Athlete of the Week, Adam Neff has now won six matches in a row. He is undefeated in singles dual matches this season and has not yet dropped a single set.
Liam Krall improves his singles winning streak to three matches and now holds an overall singles dual record of 5-1 for the season.

Next Time Out
The Mustangs will continue their road trip as they take on Texas A&M on February 27 at 12:00 p.m. in College Station. The Aggies are currently ranked No. 12 in the nation with a record of 6-2.

Singles
1. Caleb Chakravarthi (SMU) def. Dario Huber (NEB) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
2. Adam Neff (SMU) def. William Gleason (NEB) 6-4, 6-1
3. Liam Krall (SMU) def. Calvin Mueller (NEB) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
4. Pranav Kumar (SMU) def. Roni Hietaranta (NEB) 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5)
5. Victor Moreno Lozano (NEB) def. Ivan Thamma (SMU) 7-5, 7-6 (7-1)
6. Shunya Maruyama (NEB) def. Julian Steinhausen (SMU) 6-3, 6-3
 
Doubles
1. Nic Wiedenhorn/Victor Moreno Lozano (NEB) def. Ivan Thamma/Adam Neff (SMU) 6-4
2. Rudra Dixit/Roni Hietaranta (NEB) vs. Liam Krall/Pranav Kumar (SMU) 6-6 (5-5), unfinished
3. Patrick Cacciatore/Shunya Maruyama (NEB) def. Julian Steinhausen/Huntley Allen (SMU) 7-6 (9-7)