Troy tennis drops first two matches

Thomas Gleaton

Chief Copy Editor

Ty Ammons

Staff Writer

The Troy University men’s tennis team notched its first win of the season, defeating UTSA, but it dropped its following meet to No. 2 Oklahoma.

In its match against UTSA on Saturday, Jan. 23, the team only needed six of its nine matches to beat the Roadrunners 4-0.

Senior Giovani Samaha won his line three singles match 6-3, 6-3 against sophomore Christian Carrillo, and Junior Pablo Moreno took care of his match, downing sophomore Mark Ginting 6-1, 6-0. Sophomore Andre Baldo didn’t have much trouble either, as he beat freshman player Takeru Watanabe 6-2, 6-1.

Troy’s only loss came to line one doubles by Baldo and freshman Filip Mansson. The loss was against junior Fabian Brand and senior Diogo Casa.

Junior Andy Lau and Samaha’s line two doubles match was close, but the Trojans pulled away for the win against senior Jake Rother and Watanabe 6-4. Sophomore Mustapha Belcora and Moreno were on line three doubles, and they needed an extra game to pull off the 7-5 win against senior Eric Buchalter and Ginting.

The singles matches of senior Daniel Bustamante, Lau and Mansson went unfinished.

The men’s team then moved on to play against Oklahoma on Sunday, Jan. 24, and the game resulted in the exact opposite way that Saturday did.

Bustamante’s match was the most competitive of the finished matches, as he lost 6-3, 6-2 to No. 60 Axel Alvarez Llamas.

Mansson lost his match to junior Florin Bragusi 6-1, 6-0. Baldo’s line six singles was closer, and ended up losing 6-3, 6-1 to freshman Maxime Mora.

Mansson and Baldo’s doubles match was lost 6-3 to Llamas and sophomore Spencer Papa. Lau and Samaha won one fewer game, as senior Austin Siegel and junior Alex Ghilea beat them 6-2.

Belcora and Moreno’s doubles match went unfinished, as well as Lau, Samaha, and Baldo’s singles matches. Samaha may have won his match against No. 92 Ghilea, as he was up two points and a set when it went unfinished.

The men’s next match is against Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, on Saturday, Jan. 30.