Athletics

Men’s Tennis Drops Pair Of Matches To Wrap Up Florida Trip

The No. 16-ranked Gustavus men’s tennis team wrapped up its season-opening trip to Florida on Thursday, dropping a pair of matches. The Gusties lost 9-0 to Florida Tech and then dropped a 7-2 decision to Division II No. 7 Saint Leo, moving their overall record to 1-3.

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by

siewert

SAINT LEO, SATELITE BEACH, Fla. – The No. 16-ranked Gustavus men’s tennis team wrapped up its season-opening trip to Florida on Thursday, dropping a pair of matches. The Gusties lost 9-0 to Florida Tech and then dropped a 7-2 decision to Division II No. 7 Saint Leo, moving their overall record to 1-3.

“Our guys made great progress today,” Head Coach Tommy Valentini said. “Against Florida Tech we competed with great effort and determination. We had some looks at the doubles but came up a bit short. Nevertheless, the guys fought hard and stayed very positive right to the end. It was a tough match against a talented team, but we focused very well on what was within our control and we can build on this one in many ways. Against Saint Leo, our guys competed at a very high level. Saint Leo is a tremendous team, and we handled the moment well and stuck to our plan mentally and tactically. We will hope to use this strong effort to build trust in our group and in our game.”

Gustavus 0, Florida Tech 9

Doubles

  1. Aria Canadell/Majed Alshaikh (FIT) def. Mason Bultje (Sr., Mankato, Minn.)/Gabe Steinwand (Sr., Moorhead, Minn.) (GAC) 8-6
  2. Ricky Corona/James Finnigan (FIT) def. Xavier Sanga (Fy., Madison, Wis.)/Lawrence Hiquiana (Fy., Downers Grove, Ill.) (GAC) 8-3
  3. JJ Clark/Tjimon Louisy (FIT) def. Alex Senjem (Jr., Rochester, Minn.)/Zeke Haugen (So., St. Peter, Minn.) (GAC) 8-3

Singles

  1. Canadell (FIT) def. Steinwand (GAC) 6-0, 6-2
  2. Finnigan (FIT) def. Bultje (GAC) 6-2, 6-1
  3. Corona (FIT) def. Sanga (GAC) 6-4, 6-2
  4. Clark (FIT) def. Hiquiana (GAC) 6-4, 6-3
  5. Gerald Carpinell (FIT) def. Mouaad Alhouni (Fy., Tripoli, Libya) 6-0, 6-4
  6. Louisy (FIT) def. Haugen (GAC) 6-1, 6-0

Gustavus 2, Saint Leo 7

Doubles

  1. Mohanad Alhouni (Sr., Tripoli, Libya)/Patrick Whaling (Jr., Manikob Sabot, Va.) (GAC) def. Francisco Aparicio/Bruno Babic (SL) 8-3
  2. Jaime Bueno/Willem van den Akker (SL) def. Tommy Entwistle (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.)/Chase Johnson (Jr., Golden Valley, Minn.) (GAC) 8-3
  3. Thomas Grinberg/James Defusto (SL) def. Yassine Derbani (So., Casablanca, Morocco)/Michael O’Neil (So., Edina, Minn.) (GAC) 8-2

Singles

  1. Thomas Grinberg (SL) def. Alhouni (GAC) 6-1, 6-3
  2. Jaime Bueno (SL) def. Whaling (GAC) 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
  3. Francisco Aparicio (SL) def. Johnson (GAC) 7-6, 6-1
  4. Derbani (GAC) def. Babic (SL) 6-3, 6-3
  5. van den Akker (SL) def. Entwistle (GAC) 6-0, 6-2
  6. Defusto (SL) def. O’Neil (GAC) 6-2, 6-1

Gustavus returns home for its first matches at Swanson Tennis Center next Saturday. The Gusties host Morningside at 9 a.m. and Luther at 6 p.m. A split squad travels to Saint Mary’s the same day at 6 p.m.