LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – Playing at home for the first time in over a month, the UNLV men's tennis team notched a 4-3 win over Purdue on Tuesday afternoon at the Fertitta Tennis Complex. 
 
The Rebels snapped a three-match losing skid – all against ranked opponents – to get back to .500 at 6-6 overall while the Boilermakers of the Big Ten Conference fell to 6-6. UNLV also improved to 2-1 all-time vs. Purdue.
 
The hosts earned the doubles point by taking the two completed matches. Taiyo Hirano and Illia Maksymchuk doubled up their opponents, 6-3, on court one and Aaron Bailey and Thomas Navarro took their match 6-2 at the No. 3 position.
 
In singles, Hirano eased by Juan David Velasquez, 6-3, 6-3, at No. 4, and then Maksymchuk outlasted Stefan Simeunovic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, at No. 1. With things eventually tied at 3, all eyes moved to court three where Bailey clinched it with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory to improve his team to 5-2 at home this season.
 
REBEL OF THE MATCH: With his team's top player, Anton Ornberg, unavailable, Illia Maksymchuk excelled at the No. 1 position in both singles and doubles.
 
QUOTABLE: "We handled another big day of big challenges and improved. Now we are eager to play again twice this weekend."
-UNLV Head Coach Andy Jackson
 
UP NEXT: UNLV will host Saint Mary's on Friday starting with doubles at 3 p.m. Admission to all matches at the Fertitta Tennis Complex are free of charge.
 
Men's Tennis Match Results
UNLV 4, PURDUE 3
March 12, 2024, at Las Vegas, NV
(Fertitta Tennis Complex)

Singles competition
1. Illia Maksymchuk (UNLV-M) def. Stefan Simeunovic (PURDUE) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
2. Soham Purohit (PURDUE) def. Dusan Rsovac (UNLV-M) 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
3. Aaron Bailey (UNLV-M) def. Daniel Labrador (PURDUE) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
4. Taiyo Hirano (UNLV-M) def. Juan David Velasquez (PURDUE) 6-3, 6-3
5. Henrik Villanger (PURDUE) def. Thomas Navarro (UNLV-M) 6-3, 6-3
6. Mujtaba Ali-Khan (PURDUE) def. Creed Skinner (UNLV-M) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
 
Doubles competition
1. Taiyo Hirano/Illia Maksymchuk (UNLV-M) def. Soham Purohit/Juan David Velasquez (PURDUE) 6-3
2. Jackson Atherton/Dusan Rsovac (UNLV-M) vs. Stefan Simeunovic/Henrik Villanger (PURDUE) 4-3, unfinished
3. Aaron Bailey/Thomas Navarro (UNLV-M) def. Mujtaba Ali-Khan/Daniel Labrador (PURDUE) 6-2