Ty Ammons
Staff Writer
Troy University’s men’s tennis team traveled to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, to compete in the C.L. Varner Memorial Invitational on Oct. 3-5.
Four Trojans competed in each of the four singles draws, and one doubles team played in each doubles draw.
Junior Gabriel Sciacca Dias beat junior Fons Verberne from Saint Leo in his first round, 6-3, 6-0.
In his second-round match, he played sophomore Inaki Espindola from the University of Central Florida. Dias won the match 6-1, 7-5.
Dias played Barry University sophomore Nico Dreer in his third-round match and won, 6-3, 6-1.
In the final round, Dias was set to play junior Danny Riggs from Lynn University, but he ended up winning by default because Riggs was injured and unable to compete.
Teammate and junior Giovani Samaha made it to the semifinals of the singles B draw.
Samaha won his first-round match against junior Justen Louis from Flagler College, 6-2, 1-0. Louis retired in the second set.
In Samaha’s second-round match, he played junior Renato Lombardi from Barry University and won 6-4, 6-2.
Samaha lost his next match to freshman Loic Blanco from Stetson University 6-2, 6-2.
Freshman Austin Racine made it to the semifinals of his singles match as well.
Sophomore Pablo Moreno made it only past the first round of the singles C main draw.
Moreno won the first round against sophomore Austin Cruz from Barry University with a final match score of 7-5, 6-2.
In his next round, he played sophomore Paolo Volpicelli from Lynn University, and lost. The score was 6-2, 7-5.
Both of Troy’s doubles teams made it to the finals.
Dias and Moreno won their first match against junior Egor Panyushkin and graduate Guilluame Vanelven from Saint Leo, 8-3.
In the second round, UCF redshirt senior Kiku Aulina and sophomore Reece Acree retired due to injuries.
In the finals, Dias and Moreno fell in an 8-6 loss to sophomores Chris Barrus and Inaki Espindola from UCF.
Samaha and Racine played in the second doubles draw. They won their first round match against sophomores Oskar Nurmio and James Defusto from Saint Leo with the score being 8-2.
They went on to win their second round match 8-3 against sophomore Casey Austgen and redshirt junior Keegan Burger from Rollins College.
Racine and Samaha lost in the finals to sophomores Nico Dreer and Franco Echenique from Barry University, 8-5.
Troy’s next men’s tennis tournament is on Oct. 16-20 at the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships in Auburn. The women’s tennis team will also compete at the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championship on Oct. 10-13 in Tuscaloosa.
