Knoxville, TN – The #8 Patriots Men's Tennis team opened its spring slate with a road matchup against a nationally ranked opponent, falling 1-6 to No. 3 Tennessee Wesleyan on Friday morning at the Goodfriend Tennis Center. 

The Patriots found early success in doubles play at the top of the lineup as Gabriele Solda and Darius Kuster defeated Lucas Perez and Lucas Grana by a 5–2 score at No. 1 doubles. Tennessee Wesleyan answered with wins at No. 2 doubles, where David Leon and Nicolas Cortes topped Jacopo Cianfarini and Apivich Rojpiboonphan, and at No. 3 doubles as Maceo Simpson and Agustin Gaia edged Manuel Fernandez Guede and Thibaud Vivier, giving the Bulldogs a 1–0 advantage. 

In singles action, Tennessee Wesleyan claimed five of six matches to secure the victory. At No. 1 singles, Serafin Zund earned a straight-set win over Darius Kuster, while No. 2 saw Lucas Grana outlast Jacopo Cianfarini in a third-set super tiebreak. At No. 3 singles, Asier Pascual defeated Gabriele Solda after the match was decided in the super tiebreak. 

Cumberlands picked up its lone point at No. 4 singles, where Thibaud Vivier rallied past Lucas Perez, 6–2, 5–7, 10–7. Tennessee Wesleyan rounded out singles play with wins from Chanon Phunsawat over Manuel Fernandez Guede at No. 5 and Nicolas Cortes over Apivich Rojpiboonphan at No. 6. 

Despite the final score, the Patriots showed competitive depth across the lineup against a ranked opponent in their season opener. 

UC will return to action on February 6 where the Patriots will travel to Harrogate, Tennessee to play in the LMU Indoor Invite. The first match is set to begin at 10:00 AM against Tusculum.  

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