#13 Tennessee Defeats MTSU, 5-2

Thursday, January 16

Murfreesboro

6 PM

University of Tennessee

MTSU

January 16, 2025 | Men's Tennis

Box Score PDF Box

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The No. 13 Tennessee men's tennis team picked up its third straight victory over an in-state opponent on Thursday night against MTSU at Adams Tennis Complex.

The action started with the duo of Jose Garcia and Alex Kotzen cruising to a 6-1 victory over Rostislav Halfinger and Kacper Szymkowiak on court three. This match saw the first action for Kotzen for the spring and also marked the first time the doubles pairing has played together this season.

The other two courts each saw similar pairings representing the Big Orange, with UT losing its first match of the year as Alan Jesudason and Jan Kobierski fell to No. 45 Karim Al-Amin and Ondrej Horak, 6-2. The two returners on this year's squad, Shunsuke Mitsui and James Newton, rallied to clinch the doubles point with a hard-fought 6-4 decision against Shu Matsuoka and Jakub Kroslak.

Kotzen, ranked 34th in singles, opened singles play with a strong showcase against No. 98 Karim Al-Amin, pacing to a 6-3, 6-3 victory. No. 18 Mitsui faced off against Kroslak in a matchup that saw a momentum-changing tiebreaker in the first set. The Shizuoka, Japan, native placed a beautiful lob shot to win the set and give himself a boost for the rest of the match, where he eventually won in two sets by a result of 7-6(4), 6-2.

Ian Cruz posted the clinching effort at the No. 6 spot. The senior tallied a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over Halfinger. Garcia then closed out the day on court four, taking down Horak 7-6(1), 6-4.

The Blue Raiders won decisions on courts three and five, with Matsuoka defeating Jesudason 6-2, 7-5, and Szymkowiak beating Kobierski, 6-2, 6-1.

KOTZEN'S STRONG DEBUT
In his first appearance of the spring season, Alex Kotzen earned both a singles win at the No. 1 spot and a doubles victory, helping the Big Orange to another in-state triumph. The New York native now sits at a 7-3 singles and doubles mark on the year.

UP NEXT
The Big Orange will travel to Winston-Salem to take on No. 4 Wake Forest. That matchup will occur on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center.

For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Tennessee men's tennis on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.

RESULTS
Doubles
1. Karim Al-Amin/Ondrej Horak (MTSU) def. Alan Jesudason/Jan Kobierski (TENN) 6-2
2. Shunsuke Mitsui/James Newton (TENN) def. Shu Matsuoka/Jakub Kroslak (MTSU) 6-4
3. Alex Kotzen/Jose Garcia (TENN) def. Rostislav Halfinger/Kacper Szymkowiak (MTSU) 6-1

Order of Finish: 3,1,2

Singles
1. Alex Kotzen (TENN) def. Karim Al-Amin (MTSU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. Jakub Kroslak (MTSU) 7-6(4), 6-2
3. Shu Matsuoka (MTSU) def. Alan Jesudason (TENN) 6-2, 7-5
4. Jose Garcia (TENN) def. Ondrej Horak (MTSU) 7-6(1), 6-4
5. Kacper Szymkowiak (MTSU) def. Jan Kobierski (TENN) 6-2, 6-1
6. Ian Cruz (TENN) def. Rostislav Halfinger (MTSU) 7-6(4), 6-3

Order of Finish: 1,3,5,2,6,4