by Caleb Thomas
After an impressive nine-match winning streak, the Troy men’s tennis team lost to East Tennessee State 5-2 on Friday. ETSU slowed the Trojans’ momentum, earning its first win of the season.
Friday saw more than one streak end, as ETSU broke the nine-match personal streak held by freshman Mario Martinez Serrano. Serrano, a native of Zaragoza, Spain, has been on a tear to start his career, with a 17-5 record.
During the match, Troy managed to capture two singles points, won by Noah Martens and Yeray Andres Pastor. Martens, a sophomore from Belgium, is 4-1 this season after a 20-10 singles record in the 2021-22 campaign.
Pastor beat ETSU’s Pedro Cressoni 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to win the other point for Troy. The freshman has seen limited action this Spring after arriving to Troy from Valencia, Spain.
The Buccaneers beat the Trojans by jumping out to a fast 2-0 lead, sweeping Troy in the doubles sets 6-2, 6-3. After that, Dimitri Badra beat Serrano in the first singles match to extend ETSU’s lead.
Overall, it was a tough day for Troy. The Trojans look to bounce back against Alabama A&M on Friday at 2 p.m. in Huntsville, Alabama. Historically, Troy has dominated Alabama A&M, holding an 8-0 record against the Bulldogs with a total score of 53-1. It’ll be a long travel week for the team as they have away matches against Alabama A&M, Chattanooga and Mercer in the span of six days.
