Williamsburg, KY – The seventh-ranked Patriots men's tennis team protected its home courts on Wednesday afternoon, edging No. 20 Marian 4-3 at the UC Tennis Complex. UC rallied after dropping the doubles point to secure four singles victories and outlast Marian in a tightly contested top-20 matchup. 

Marian claimed the early advantage by sweeping the two completed doubles matches. James Ashworth and Mateo Guerin defeated Darius Kuster and Gabriele Solda 6-3 at No. 1 doubles, while Marcos Ramos Cabrera and Jan Bartolome earned a 6-4 win over Jacopo Cianfarini and Mohammed Abuzed Saber at No. 2. The No. 3 doubles contest went unfinished with Cumberlands leading 6-5. 

Singles play proved to be a battle from start to finish, with the momentum swinging throughout the afternoon. The first point of singles came at No. 5, where Kesia Roi delivered a dominant 6-3, 6-0 victory to quickly even the team score at 1-1. 

Marian answered at No. 2 singles to regain the lead, but Jacopo Cianfarini responded at the top spot with a gritty three-set comeback win, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, tying the match once again. 

Gabriele Solda continued the push with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win at No. 3 singles to give the Patriots their first lead of the day. After Marian picked up a point at No. 6 singles to knot the match at 3-3, all eyes turned to No. 4. 

With the team result hanging in the balance, Thibaud Vivier bounced back after dropping a tight opening-set tiebreak to earn a 6-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory, clinching the match for Cumberlands and sealing the 4-3 triumph. 

UC will return to the court on Friday, February 27, traveling to Jackson, Tennessee to face Mid-South Conference opponent Freed-Hardeman at 1:00 PM. 

For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics. Please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter- @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, TikTok- @ucpatriots, Youtube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.