CHARLOTTE, N.C. – (April 5, 2019) – Despite a time and location change, the Florida Atlantic University men’s tennis team was victorious Friday to open up a three-match, three-day slate of conference play in Charlotte, 4-1 over Old Dominion.
Notables:
· ODU (9-8, 0-1 Conference USA) took the early lead in doubles, in a tiebreaker in the No. 1 slot after already having a point at No. 3
· But the Owls (16-8, 2-0 C-USA) responded with four straight singles points, all in straight sets
· First in was Mehdi Laalej at No. 3, 6-1, 6-2. Right behind him was No. 5 Ignacio Garcia, 6-3, 6-3
· Pushing the team to the brink was Jason Legall, winning 6-3, 7-5 at No. 1
· The clincher came courtesy of Alvaro Fernandez Horta, topping his No. 6 opponent, 7-6, 6-1
Quotable
Head Coach Ricardo Gonzalez:
“Today was a very tough battle against a very good Old Dominion team. The match could’ve gone either way. I am very pleased with the way our team stepped up after losing the doubles point. We didn’t panic and took care of business in singles. We need to carry this momentum for tomorrow as we have another big challenge ahead of us.”
Sophomore Ignacio Garcia:
“This was a redemption from last year’s conference finals match and we started off with a lot of energy. Although we lost the doubles point, we were confident that we were going to win our singles matches and it showed, as everyone was really focused from the beginning of the match. I felt that concentration we had throughout the match helped us win today and this win will only give us more confidence for tomorrow and Sunday’s matches.”
Full Results:
FAU 4, ODU 1
Doubles
1. Aziz Kijametovic/Francois Musitelli (ODU) def. Jason Legall/Ignacio Garcia (FAU) 7-6
2. Nicola Vidal/Luca Maldoner (ODU) vs. Mehdi Laalej/Gabriel Sidney (FAU) 5-6, unfinished
3. Jannik Giesse/Oliver Tobisch (ODU) def. Kirac Bekisoglu/Thomas Guy (FAU) 6-2
Singles
1. Jason Legall (FAU) def. Aziz Kijametovic (ODU) 6-3, 7-5
2. Francois Musitelli (ODU) vs. Kirac Bekisoglu (FAU) 6-7 (4-6), 6-3, unfinished
3. Mehdi Laalej (FAU) def. Jannik Giesse (ODU) 6-1, 6-2
4. Nicola Vidal (ODU) vs. Gabriel Sidney (FAU) 6-7, 3-3, unfinished
5. Ignacio Garcia (FAU) def. Luca Maldoner (ODU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Alvaro Fernandez Horta (FAU) def. Oliver Tobisch (ODU) 7-6, 6-1
What’s Next:
The three days of conference matchups continues Saturday, against the hosts, Charlotte. As of now, the match is scheduled for 3 p.m..
– FAUSports.com –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
