WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Abhiram Venkatachalam's win at No. 6 singles provided Midwestern State with a dramatic 4-3 win over No. 13 Southwest Baptist (Mo.) on Saturday night at the MSU Tennis Center.

The sophomore's 6-2, 6-4 win over Ilyes Khelifi handed the Mustangs the walk-off victory, their first over a ranked opponent this season.
 
"He works extremely hard," MSU Texas head coach Scott Linn said. "He's had an opportunity the last few days and he was prepared. He dug his heels in tonight and I am very proud of him."

Venkatachalam's win might have sealed the deal for MSU Texas, but it was freshman Brice Bradshaw at No. 5 who set the tone for the Maroon and Gold in a grueling 4.5 hour match against the Bearcats. The freshman dropped the first set to Youssef Nabil 1-6, then rallied to a 7-6 win to force a decisive third set. While Bradshaw fell 6-3, his ability to stay on the court while Venkatchalam competed was a turning point.

"Brice (Bradshaw) staying on the court for as long as he did was key," Linn said. "Even though he lost, him staying out there and competing so that Abhi wasn't playing by himself was huge."

Singles play opened with Alvaro Nunez defeating Alexandre Crepy at the number four spot, 6-1, 6-1. No. 19 Adham Gaber won the battle of top 20 competitors with a 6-4, 7-6 win over No. 5 Angel Palacios.

Midwestern State then won three of the next four matches to cap off a wild win.

No. 43 Alex Martinez Roca earned a three set win at number two and Alberto Diaz fought off Carlos Corser at the number three spot, 7-6, 6-2 before Bradshaw and Venkatachalam split their matches.

"This was an excellent team effort," Linn said. "Every time we play Southwest Baptist, it's a battle."
 
MSU Texas swept their way through doubles to claim a 1-0 lead. Palacios/Quentin Scharfenberg won again at No. 3 while Martinez Roca/Crepy secured the point with a 6-3 win at the top spot.

Doubles
No. 1 – Alex Martinez Roca/Alexandre Crepy def. Adham Gaber/Youssef Nabil, 6-3
No. 2 – Brice Bradshaw/Alberto Diaz def. Ferenc Agoston/Alvaro Nunez, 6-3
No. 3 – Angel Palacios/Quentin Scharfenberg def. Carlos Corser/David Szeri, 6-2
 
Singles
No. 1 – No. 19 Adham Gaber def. No. 5 Angel Palacios, 6-4, 7-6
No. 2 – No. 43 Alex Martinez Roca def. David Szeri, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
No. 3 – Alberto Diaz def. Carlos Corser, 7-6, 6-2
No. 4 – Alvaro Nunez def. Alexandre Crepy, 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 – Youssef Nabil def. Brice Bradshaw, 6-1, 6-7, 6-3  
No. 6 – Abhiram Venkatachalam def. Ilyes Khelifi, 6-2, 6-4
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 1, 2); Singles (4, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6)

UP NEXT
The start of Lone Star Conference play as the Mustangs host Dallas Baptist on March 13.