The FGCU men's tennis team (6-8, 2-0 A-SUN) earned its second conference win of the season with a decisive 7-0 victory over the NJIT Highlanders (4-10, 0-2 A-SUN) Saturday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex. With the win, the Eagles are now 5-2 against the Highlanders
"Everyone did a great job today and we were able to get up on them early and never let go," head coach CJ Weber said. "A lot of times when you get up early in matches, players can lose focus but we didn't do that. Everyone was disciplined and we took care of business. Playing matches at the same as the women provides a unique atmosphere. Not many programs have 12 courts to be able to do that. I think it's a really fun environment, especially when he have a bunch of fans. It's nice for (women's head coach Courtney Vernon) and I to look around and see fans cheering on our programs."
"Today was a tough match against a tough opponent," NJIT head coach Ira Miller said. We adapted pretty well to outdoor play but FGCU is always strong on their home courts"
The Eagles secured an early advantage over the Highlanders after clinching the point in doubles play. The duo of sophomore Juan Montes and junior Marcelo Tebet (3-1) was the first to finish, defeating its NJIT competitors 6-2 on court two. Juniors Felipe Ramirez and Feliksas Sakalauskas (4-3) sealed the point for FGCU with a 6-2 triumph at the third flight.
The match at the first court featuring seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (5-6) went unfinished with a 4-3 Eagle advantage.
Senior Javier Fernandez (6-4) continued his recent string of success at the sixth flight and claimed a 6-0, 6-0 straight-set victory. Sakalauskas (6-7) immediately followed up with a win in two sets at court No. 5 to put the Eagles up 3-0.
Tebet (7-4) dug out the Green and Blue's third straight-set win of the night, claiming court No. 4 with a 6-2, 6-3 win. Montes (6-7) tacked on to the lead with a 6-3, 6-1 victory at the first flight.
Escobar (3-7) earned the final point of the night for FGCU with a tiebreak victory in his second set on the third court. Tonight's triumph marks the first time all season that the Eagles have shut out their opponent. The last time that the Green and Blue blanked an opponent was a 7-0 win against Georgia Southern in February 2017.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Tomi Antoljak (NJIT) 6-3, 6-1
2. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Lukas Zvikas (NJIT) 6-2, 6-1
3. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Abdullah Fouad (NJIT) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)
4. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Zac Castagna (NJIT) 6-2, 6-3
5. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. George Svensson (NJIT) 6-0, 6-1
6. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Juan Bejarano (NJIT) 6-0, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 5, 2, 4, 1, 3
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) vs. Tomi Antoljak/Zac Castagna (NJIT) 4-3, unfinished
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Lukas Zvikas/George Svensson (NJIT) 6-2
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Abdullah Fouad/Juan Bejarano (NJIT) 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 3
Up Next:
The Eagles will continue their long home swing with a match against the Brown Bears next Thursday, March 28. Doubles play will begin at 5 p.m. at the FGCU Tennis Complex. This will be the second-ever meeting between the Eagles and the Bears. The last time the teams met was a 6-1 victory for Brown at the FGCU Tennis Complex in 2011.
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