NEW ORLEANS - Benjamin Bouhana prevailed in a third-set tiebreaker on the No. 1 court to give the University of New Orleans a 4-3 victory over Lamar on Monday afternoon at the University Tennis Center.
UNO (1-0) won the doubles' point, only to find itself in a 3-2 hole with the visiting Lamar (1-3) needing just one win in the final two singles' matches to claim the dual.
Vinay Kamineni prevented LU from taking the dual by rallying from a set down at the No. 2 position to defeat Denis Ermilov 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. The Kamineni win set up a showdown on the No. 1 court, where Bouhana came through in the clutch to defeat Robert Lee 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5) for the dual-clinching victory.
Bouhana's singles' victory was the second key victory on the day for the native of France. Earlier, Bouhana teamed with freshman Hossam Meligy for an 8-6 victory at the No. 1 doubles' court to preserve the doubles' point for UNO.
Kamineni and Meligy joined Bouhana in tallying two wins apiece.
Kamineni, who was making his return after a redshirt spring a year ago, teamed with Abdelrahman Zaki for an 8-5 win on the No. 2 doubles' court over Marton Horvath and Robert Lee. Meligy made his dual singles' debut in winning fashion with a straight set 6-3, 6-1 victory over Diego Snyder at No. 5.
The Privateers will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 3 when they visit LSU for a 7 p.m. dual. The match is the first in a three-day span as the UNO men will join their female counterparts in hosting Belhaven on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 10 a.m.
New Orleans 4, Lamar 3
Jan 31, 2011 at New Orleans, La. (University Tennis Ctr)
Singles competition
1. Benjamin Bouhana (UNO-M) def. Robert Lee (LAMAR) 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5)
2. Vinay Kamineni (UNO-M) def. Denis Ermilov (LAMAR) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
3. Carlos Valdenebro (LAMAR) def. Oliver Grimbly (UNO-M) 6-1, 6-1
4. Marton Horvath (LAMAR) def. Abdelrahman Zaki (UNO-M) 6-2, 6-4
5. Hossam Meligy (UNO-M) def. Diego Snyder (LAMAR) 6-3, 6-1
6. Dusan Savkovic (LAMAR) def. Joshua Marx (UNO-M) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Benjamin Bouhana/Hossam Meligy (UNO-M) def. Carlos Valdenebro/Diego Snyder (LAMAR) 8-6
2. Vinay Kamineni/Abdelrahman Zaki (UNO-M) def. Marton Horvath/Robert Lee (LAMAR) 8-5
3. Denis Ermilov/Dusan Savkovic (LAMAR) def. Rohit Chivukula/Oliver Grimbly (UNO-M) 8-2
