Williamsburg, KY – The 19
th-ranked UC men's tennis teams earned points at both #1 doubles and #2 singles, however it wasn't enough as the Patriots fell seventh-ranked Lindsey Wilson 6-3 in their Mid-South Conference opener Wednesday afternoon at the UC Tennis Court. With the win the Blue Raiders improve to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the MSC, while the Patriots drop to 4-4 and 0-1 in conference play.
Jan Dietrich and
Anthony Kwok got off to a fast start winning the first three points at #2 doubles, however Lindsey Wilson would rally to win the point 8-6 and take a 1-0 lead. The Blue Raiders extended their lead to 2-0 with an 8-5 win at #3 doubles. At #1 doubles,
Martin Barbier and
Eric Banoub battled Camilo Erazo and Javier Raya. It was a back-and-forth match with the duo of Barbier and Banoub prevailing for the 9-8 win to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into singles play.
Lindsey Wilson quickly extended their lead with a 6-0, 6-1 win at #3 singles. Barbier, the 44
th-ranked singles player in the NAIA, continued his strong season with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Tiago Almeida at #1 singles to bring Cumberlands within a point at 3-2. The Blue Raiders won #2 singles in straight sets, before
Luis Montull defeated Raya 6-4, 7-5 at #4 singles to make it 4-3. Lindsey Wilson's Santiago Diaz notched a 6-1, 6-2 win at #6 singles to clinch the match for the Blue Raiders.
Banoub dropped the first set to Nicolas Torrealba 6-4 at #5 singles. Banoub rallied to take the second set 7-6, before falling to the third set 10-8 for the 6-3 final.
Barbier improves to 5-2 in singles on the season, while the duo of Barbier and Banoub improve to 6-2. Montull garners his first win at #4 singles and improves his singles record to 3-4.
The Patriots will return to the court Saturday, March 23, when they host (RV) Georgetown in a MSC showdown. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the UC Tennis Complex.
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