TYLER, TEXAS – The first regional hosted by UT Tyler as a Division II program went exactly to plan as the Patriots rolled over St. Mary's by a score of 4-0 and punch their ticket to the NCAA Round of 16.
 
The doubles matches serve as a huge key to each match as they determine who will have the 1-0 advantage and be that much closer to claiming victory. Gonzalo Fernandez Gil and Moritz Mayer have paired together throughout the season in the #1 slot, and today was the exact same.
 
The pair jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, going up a break before getting their serve broken in return. That made the score 2-1, but the momentum had been established, and the duo rolled with four consecutive game wins to claim a 6-1 set victory.
 
In the #2 line, head coach Adam Cohen has used a variety of different lineups, but seems to have found gold with the pair of Joaquin Bianchi and Egor Shestakov. The pair first played in the final regular season match of the year, and have now played each match since. In today's contest, the duo ran out to a big 3-0 lead before the Rattlers won their first game. However, that is all they would get as UT Tyler won three consecutive games to close out the set and earn the doubles point in dominating fashion.
 
With a 1-0 lead, UT Tyler needed just three matches of the six in singles to fall their way and they would punch their ticket to the NCAA Finals. The first man to complete his contest was Mayer. In the first set, it was Niklas Knoerr who jumped out to a 2-1 advantage. Each player broke serve in the first two games, but Knoerr held his first to hold the lead. Mayer was undeterred, and won three consecutive games to make the lead 4-2.
 
A quick win from Knoerr made the score 4-3, but Mayer closed out the first set with two consecutive game wins.
 
In set number two, Knoerr again jumped out to a 2-1 advantage. That lead was extended to 4-2, but Mayer dug deep and rattled off four consecutive game wins to finish off the contest and put point number two on the board for UT Tyler.
 
In line #2, Bianchi stepped up to face Jake Faryniarz. With another point on the board, each match became even more crucial than the one prior. Faryniarz rolled to a 2-1 advantage, but the consistency and placement from Bianchi brought all of the momentum to him, and he won five consecutive games to close the set.
 
In the second set, the match became a gritty battle as the tension began to escalate. Faryniarz took an early 2-0 advantage, but Bianchi came right back with two wins of his own. The pair would trade blows over the next four games to tie it at 4-4. With the match hanging in the balance, Bianchi stepped up big, and delivered two game wins to claim the match 6-4.
 
The Patriots now held a 3-0 advantage, and all signs pointed to the match between Fernandez Gil and Chad Nguyen as what could be the clincher. In the first set, Nguyen held an early advantage at 2-1, but Fernandez Gil battled right back and won three consecutive games to lead 4-2. The pair traded game wins to a 5-4 lead for Fernandez Gil, and he would close it out with a 6-4 advantage.
 
Now just one set away from sending the Patriots to the NCAA Quarterfinals, the Spaniard found new life and jumped out on a massive run after being tied at 1-1 to make it 5-1. Suddenly, the Rattlers were down to their final game. Nguyen held his serve to make it 5-2 in a last gasp, but Fernandez Gil refused to go down and ended the match by a score of 6-2 and clinch a 4-0 victory for UT Tyler.
 
The big win for the Patriots means they have punched their ticket to the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament to be held in Altamonte Springs, Florida. That round will begin May 18. The Patriots will learn their opponent in the coming days as the rest of the regional competitions are due to wrap up today.