
Photo by: Patrick Davis
Men’s Tennis Upsets DePaul, 4-3, in BIG EAST Opener
2/11/2023 8:46:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Freshman Kirtan Patel clinched the match with a straight-sets victory on the final singles court
OMAHA, Neb. –- For the second time in as many days, the Creighton men's tennis team clinched the overall dual on the final singles court as the Bluejays upset DePaul, the two-time defending BIG EAST champions, 4-3 in the BIG EAST opener on Saturday night at the Hanscom Tennis Center.
With the win, the Bluejays improved to 3-3 on the year and 1-0 in BIG EAST play with their third straight victory, while DePaul fell to 5-4 overall and 0-1 in league play.
Freshman Kirtan Patel clinched the victory for the Bluejays with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) victory at the No. 6 singles position. Patel overcame a 3-0 deficit in the tiebreaker, scoring seven of the final eight point to secure a 7-4 tiebreaker win in the second set.
DePaul claiming a pair of 6-2 win at the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles spots, earning the first point of the match. The Blue Demons lead was short lived as junior Matthew Lanahan captured a 6-3, 6-3 straight-sets victory at the No. 2 singles position evening the match up at 1-1.
DePaul would quickly regain the lead with a win at the No. 3 singles slot, before Creighton took its first lead of the match on a 6-3, 6-4 triumph from junior Shin Inoue at the No. 5 spot and a 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) victory by sophomore Alejandro Gandini at the No. 4 singles position.
The Blue Demons would even the contest up at 3-3 with a 7-6, (7-3), 6-2 victory at the top singles slot before the Bluejays claimed the overall dual with the win by Patel.
"Another amazing match by our guys tonight," said head coach Tom Lilly. " They are a really determined bunch and continue to fight for each other and Creighton. We need to adjust some things with the doubles and work on that a lot this week, but I'm so proud of the energy and effort these guys put forth on match days this week."
Creighton will return to action on Friday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. when it plays host to crosstown rival Omaha at the Hanscom Tennis Center.
Creighton 4, DePaul 3
Feb 11, 2023 at Omaha, Neb. (Hanscom Tennis Center)
With the win, the Bluejays improved to 3-3 on the year and 1-0 in BIG EAST play with their third straight victory, while DePaul fell to 5-4 overall and 0-1 in league play.
Freshman Kirtan Patel clinched the victory for the Bluejays with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) victory at the No. 6 singles position. Patel overcame a 3-0 deficit in the tiebreaker, scoring seven of the final eight point to secure a 7-4 tiebreaker win in the second set.
DePaul claiming a pair of 6-2 win at the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles spots, earning the first point of the match. The Blue Demons lead was short lived as junior Matthew Lanahan captured a 6-3, 6-3 straight-sets victory at the No. 2 singles position evening the match up at 1-1.
DePaul would quickly regain the lead with a win at the No. 3 singles slot, before Creighton took its first lead of the match on a 6-3, 6-4 triumph from junior Shin Inoue at the No. 5 spot and a 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) victory by sophomore Alejandro Gandini at the No. 4 singles position.
The Blue Demons would even the contest up at 3-3 with a 7-6, (7-3), 6-2 victory at the top singles slot before the Bluejays claimed the overall dual with the win by Patel.
"Another amazing match by our guys tonight," said head coach Tom Lilly. " They are a really determined bunch and continue to fight for each other and Creighton. We need to adjust some things with the doubles and work on that a lot this week, but I'm so proud of the energy and effort these guys put forth on match days this week."
Creighton will return to action on Friday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. when it plays host to crosstown rival Omaha at the Hanscom Tennis Center.
Creighton 4, DePaul 3
Feb 11, 2023 at Omaha, Neb. (Hanscom Tennis Center)
Singles competition |
1. Krivokapic,Aleksa (DPU) def. Casey Ross (CU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 |
2. Matthew Lanahan (CU) def. Huck,Leon (DPU) 6-3, 6-3 |
3. Iaquinto,Matteo (DPU) def. Oscar Alvarez (CU) 6-0, 6-4 |
4. Alejandro Gandini (CU) def. Almeida,Pablo Torres (DPU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) |
5. Shin Inoue (CU) def. Moser,Sven (DPU) 6-3, 6-4 |
6. Kirtan Patel (CU) def. Verma,Shourya (DPU) 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) |
Doubles competition |
1. Matthew Lanahan/Alejandro Gandini (CU) def. Gitschel,Jona/Verma,Shourya (DPU) 6-2 |
2. Huck,Leon/Almeida,Pablo Torres (DPU) def. Zack Maline/Shin Inoue (CU) 6-2 |
3. Krivokapic,Aleksa/Moser,Sven (DPU) def. Casey Ross/Oscar Alvarez (CU) 6-2 |
Match Notes |
DePaul 5-4, 0-1 BE |
Creighton 3-3, 1-0 BE |
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,2,5,4,1,6) |
T-2:24 |
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3,1
Order of Finish:
3,2,5,4,1,6
Players Mentioned
Creighton Men's Tennis Final Point and Celebration vs. Xavier, 4/19/25
Saturday, April 19
Creighton Men's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/30/25
Sunday, March 30
Creighton Women's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/29/25
Sunday, March 30
Crieghton Men's Tennis Postmatch vs. Butler, 2/16/25
Sunday, February 16