Salt Lake City, Utah — The Oklahoma State men’s tennis team kicked off its Big 12 season with a hard-fought victory over Utah, winning 4-3 at the Eccles Tennis Center. This match leaves the Cowboys with a solid record of 14-4 and 1-0 in conference play. Meanwhile, the Utes move to 4-10 and 0-1.
This win marks a significant milestone for OSU — it’s their first road win in the Big 12 since last March and means they are now 6-0 against Utah overall. Notably, this is their first Big 12 match against the Utes.
The Cowboys showed great teamwork by securing the doubles point early on. Alessio Basile and Haydar Gokpinar, a strong duo of senior and freshman, won 6-4 against Utah’s AJ Deem and Charles Frey. Just beside them, Derek Pham and Charlie Valentine battled hard to overcome Emmett Potter and Simeon Terziev, finishing 7-5.
Things got a bit tricky in singles. Utah initially took the upper hand, winning on courts four and five. However, Basile and Gokpinar quickly turned the tide. Basile won his match in a tense tiebreaker, finishing 7-6(5), 7-5. Gokpinar, having a stellar freshman season, claimed his 14th singles win, bringing his record to 14-1.
The final match was an edge-of-your-seat affair between Pham and Terziev. After losing the first set, Pham bounced back to win the second and then faced a deciding third set. He clinched the win for the Cowboys in a gripping 14-point tiebreaker.
Next up, OSU will face the 57th-ranked BYU Cougars in Provo, Utah, in just under 48 hours.
Match Results:
Singles:
- Alessio Basile (OSU) def. Dante Teramo (Utah), 7-6(5), 7-5
- Emmett Potter (Utah) def. Nicolas Kobelt (OSU), 3-6, 5-7, 6-4
- Derek Pham (OSU) def. Simeon Terziev (Utah), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6)
- Lorenzo Esquici (Utah) def. Ian Bracks (OSU), 6-2, 6-3
- Balthazar Huss (Utah) def. Aaron Williams (OSU), 6-1, 7-6(3)
- Haydar Gokpinar (OSU) def. AJ Deem (Utah), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Doubles:
- Nicolas Kobelt/Aaron Williams (OSU) vs. Balthazar Huss/Dante Teramo (Utah), 6-6(4-4)
- Derek Pham/Charlie Valentine (OSU) def. Emmett Potter/Simeon Terziev (Utah), 7-5
- Alessio Basile/Haydar Gokpinar (OSU) def. AJ Deem/Charles Frey (Utah), 6-4
This strong performance is a promising start for Oklahoma State this season. As they continue their journey, fans will be eager to see how the team builds on this momentum.
