Samaha shines, leads Troy tennis in T-Town

The Troy men’s tennis team opened up play on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Tuscaloosa at the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships.

Four of the Trojan men competed in this tournament, along with seven from the women’s team.

Junior Pablo Moreno was the only Trojan from the men’s team who had to play a first-round match, while the other three got first-round byes.

Moreno won his first match 7-6, 6-1 against junior Jake Wynan from UL-Lafayette.

Unfortunately for Troy, only senior Giovani Samaha won his second-round singles match. His victory came against sophomore Sam Edwards from the University of Alabama, 7-5, 6-4.

The other two Trojans in the singles draw were junior Francisco Yim Kim and sophomore Andy Lau.

In doubles play, both men’s teams won their matches.

Moreno and Samaha took out LSU sophomore players Gabor Csonka and Simon Freund 8-4.

Yim Kim and Lau defeated junior Tuki Jacobs and senior Juan Trogila of South Alabama 8-5.

Samaha had two matches to play on Oct. 16. He won the first one 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 against freshman Arthur Libaud from the University of Lousiana-Lafayette.

Samaha’s Round of 16 match against the No. 82-ranked Ricardo Jorge also took three sets. Samaha beat the Ole Miss junior 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Moreno and Samaha won their second round doubles match against junior Hayes Brewer and Edwards 8-7. Yim Kim and Lau lost their match, however, 8-2.

Samaha managed to win his quarterfinal match 3-6, 7-6, 6-1 against sophomore Constantin Schmitz from Tulane, but his doubles run with Moreno ended in the Round of 16.

Samaha’s singles hopes came to an end in the semifinals against sophomore Maxime Hinnisdaels from Auburn University.

The women’s team had seven compete in Auburn at the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships, and only one of the women advanced to the second round in the singles main draw.

Sophomore Jiayuan Xue won her first-round match 6-3, 6-1.

The other Trojan women lost their first-round matches in doubles and singles.

Xue lost her second round match, which ended the Trojan women’s hopes of first place in the tournament, except for consolation.

The men’s and women’s team both travel to New Orleans for the Big Easy Classic on Oct. 23-25.