No. 45 Oregon men’s tennis (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) defended its home court for the 10th time in a dog fight as it defeated the Purdue Boilermakers (4-9, 0-4 Big Ten) 4-2. From the opening serve in doubles to Matthew Burton’s 5-2 comeback three hours later, there was never a moment where both teams didn’t believe they had a chance.

“(Burton) was down 2-5 in the third and he raised his level,” head coach Nils Schyllander said. “He gave his opponent nothing. It was very rewarding to see him win it instead of the other guy giving it away. He literally raised his level and played lockdown tennis.”

After 54 minutes of action, the Ducks claimed the doubles point 2-1 after Burton and Pierre Mouesca rose up in a tiebreaker to finish off a long, back-and-forth battle.

Vlad Breazu and Declan Galligan dropped their first game, but evened it up in a deuce in the second one. From there, their opponents took full control, winning 6-1.

Cameron Burton and Lachlan Robertson took the early 2-0 lead. Their opponents got on the board in the third game, but they would win the next two. Their opponents got back within one, winning the two games after that, but Burton and Robertson had no problem closing it out for the 6-3 win.

Matthew Burton and Mouesca got off to a slow start in their first game, but tied it up in the second in shutout fashion. Their next two games went to a deuce, which they capitalized on both times to take a 3-1 lead. In the third straight deuce, their opponents finally found their way to cut the lead in half. Burton and Mouesca had no trouble getting back on the board after that. Their opponents stayed in the fight and tied it at five before moving back ahead, but they retied it at six with a shutout to force a tiebreaker. At long last, Burton and Mouesca put their opponents away 7-3 to give the doubles point to Oregon.

“Super clutch from Matthew,” Mouesca said. “He played very well at the end of doubles. He gave me a lot of confidence. A couple leaders today were not playing their best, but it just shows it’s much bigger than only tennis. It’s everything they do outside of the court, the confidence they give us, even when the other matches are on.”

Robertson was in a close one throughout the first set, but his opponent capitalized in the end for a 6-4 win. He fell behind 4-0 in the second set and never really stood a chance, losing 6-1 to get Purdue on the board.

Mouesca jumped to a 3-0 lead. His opponent chipped his way into the match a little, but he was still able to pull away with a 6-2 win. He trailed in his second set, but came back to tie it at three before running away with a 6-3 win and his match.

“I played for something bigger than myself,” Mouesca said. “Playing for the Ducks, and I couldn’t let him get a hope of beating me today.”

Russell Soohoo fell behind 2-0, but came back to tie it. He showed some fight, but his opponent had the clear advantage in a 6-3 win. He jumped ahead 3-0 in his second set and had no trouble evening up his match with a 6-1 win. It was a close battle in the final set with neither side leading by more than a game until Soohoo pulled ahead 6-4 to win his match. He’s been rotated in and out of the lineup this year, but today, he took advantage of his chance.

“He’s been good all year,” Schyllander said. “We have several guys who can all contribute. I just felt it was Russy’s turn. He obviously made the most of his opportunity.”

Breazu had the lead early. His opponent kept it close, but had no trouble finishing off the set with a 6-2 win. He fell behind in his second set and couldn’t overcome the deficit, losing 6-3. He fell behind 3-0 early in the final set and once again couldn’t mount a comeback, losing 6-2.

Sam Olszakowski took an early lead. His opponent stayed in the fight, but he held his ground and came out on top 6-4. He was behind in his second set and was unable to battle back, losing 6-2. His final set was very close. Neither side led by more than a game until Olszakowski moved ahead 5-3

Matthew Burton was in a tight battle his entire first set, but was ultimately defeated 7-5. He took the early lead in the second set and never looked back, winning 6-2. His final set started out tight, but his opponent moved ahead 5-2. Burton was far from finished as he came all the way back to win 7-5, shutting out his opponent in the final game to give Oregon the match.

The Ducks travel north to take on the Washington Huskies March 21 at 2 p.m.