KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The eighth-ranked Tennessee men’s tennis team pulled out a gritty top-25 victory over No. 21 Alabama, 5-2, on Friday evening at Barksdale Stadium.
The Vols (18-4, 7-1 SEC) took the doubles point over the Crimson Tide (15-9, 4-4 SEC) with a 6-3 effort by Chris Li and Younes Lalami on court three, the pair’s first time playing together this season. The seventh-ranked duo of Johannus Monday and Angel Diaz battled to overcome a five-point deficit to defeat Filip Planinsek and Andrii Zimnokh, ranked 69th in the nation, 7-5. The No. 20 pair of Shunsuke Mitsui and Filip Pieczonka was up 6-4 at 6-all before going unfinished.
UA notched a singles win on court five, but fifth-ranked Monday took down No. 42 Planinsek in decisive 6-3, 6-3 fashion atop the lineup to put UT up 2-1. Diaz routed Matic Dimic, 6-1, 7-6(2), on court six to tally his fifth conference win of the season.
Courts two, three and four battled in three sets. Li defeated his second ranked opponent of 2024 with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 84 Enzo Aguiard on court three. No. 40 Mitsui served out a bagel in his final set to beat Zimnokh, 0-6, 7-6(3), 6-0, at the No. 2 spot. Nicolas Kobelt fought in three sets before narrowly falling to Matias Ponce De Leon in a third-set tiebreaker, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-7(5).
CHRIS LI FINDING A GROOVE
Chris Li is currently on a seven-match winning streak in SEC play and holds a 9-1 record at the No. 3 spot for Tennessee.
JOMO VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
Johannus Monday holds a 51-17 career record against ranked opponents. The senior boasts an impressive 10-0 mark over those residing in the top 10 and is two singles victories shy of eclipsing 100 career wins.
ANGEL AND JOMO AT NO. 1
The duo of Angel Diaz and Johannus Monday earned their seventh win over a ranked opponent this season with a 7-5 comeback effort over the Tide’s Planinsek and Zimnokh. The two hold a 12-3 mark as a pair in 2023-24.
UP NEXT
Tennessee will take on No. 20 South Carolina for Senior Day on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #7 Johannus Monday/Angel Diaz (UT) def. #69 Filip Planinsek/Andrii Zimnokh (UA), 7-5
2. #20 Shunsuke Mitsui/Filip Pieczonka (UT) vs. Enzo Aguiard/Zach Foster (UA), 6-6 (6-4), unfinished
3. Chris Li/Younes Lalami (UT) def. Matic Dimic/Roan Jones (UA), 6-3
The Vols (18-4, 7-1 SEC) took the doubles point over the Crimson Tide (15-9, 4-4 SEC) with a 6-3 effort by Chris Li and Younes Lalami on court three, the pair’s first time playing together this season. The seventh-ranked duo of Johannus Monday and Angel Diaz battled to overcome a five-point deficit to defeat Filip Planinsek and Andrii Zimnokh, ranked 69th in the nation, 7-5. The No. 20 pair of Shunsuke Mitsui and Filip Pieczonka was up 6-4 at 6-all before going unfinished.
UA notched a singles win on court five, but fifth-ranked Monday took down No. 42 Planinsek in decisive 6-3, 6-3 fashion atop the lineup to put UT up 2-1. Diaz routed Matic Dimic, 6-1, 7-6(2), on court six to tally his fifth conference win of the season.
Courts two, three and four battled in three sets. Li defeated his second ranked opponent of 2024 with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 84 Enzo Aguiard on court three. No. 40 Mitsui served out a bagel in his final set to beat Zimnokh, 0-6, 7-6(3), 6-0, at the No. 2 spot. Nicolas Kobelt fought in three sets before narrowly falling to Matias Ponce De Leon in a third-set tiebreaker, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-7(5).
CHRIS LI FINDING A GROOVE
Chris Li is currently on a seven-match winning streak in SEC play and holds a 9-1 record at the No. 3 spot for Tennessee.
JOMO VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
Johannus Monday holds a 51-17 career record against ranked opponents. The senior boasts an impressive 10-0 mark over those residing in the top 10 and is two singles victories shy of eclipsing 100 career wins.
ANGEL AND JOMO AT NO. 1
The duo of Angel Diaz and Johannus Monday earned their seventh win over a ranked opponent this season with a 7-5 comeback effort over the Tide’s Planinsek and Zimnokh. The two hold a 12-3 mark as a pair in 2023-24.
UP NEXT
Tennessee will take on No. 20 South Carolina for Senior Day on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #7 Johannus Monday/Angel Diaz (UT) def. #69 Filip Planinsek/Andrii Zimnokh (UA), 7-5
2. #20 Shunsuke Mitsui/Filip Pieczonka (UT) vs. Enzo Aguiard/Zach Foster (UA), 6-6 (6-4), unfinished
3. Chris Li/Younes Lalami (UT) def. Matic Dimic/Roan Jones (UA), 6-3
Order of Finish: 3,1
Singles
1. #5 Johannus Monday (UT) def. #42 Filip Planinsek (UA), 6-3, 6-3
2. #40 Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) def. Andrii Zimnokh (UA),…
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