TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler men's tennis moved to 3-0 in LSC play with a 5-2 win over St. Mary's while the Patriots women suffered their first LSC setback in a 4-3 loss on Thursday.
MEN'S MATCH: #8 UT Tyler: 5, #37 St. Mary's: 2
The Patriots men would extend their match winning streak on Thursday, earning their 13
th straight win as they dispatched the Rattlers. That run began in doubles, as they swept the Rattlers in all three lines, including a 6-2 win from
Daniil Felker and
Job Japelj in line #2.
In singles,
Artiom Dorofeev got things going as he put together a dominant run in the #1 line. He gave up just two games to his opponent, winning straight sets 6-1, 6-1. He would be followed by Felker, who earned a 6-0, 6-4 straight sets win to put the Patriots way out in front at 3-0.
The Rattlers would get on the board as they took the number six line, but the Patriots would ultimately clinch the match in the #2 line as
Martin Despodov took the win. After a big first set win of 6-1, he dropped the second set 3-6. That set up a deciding third set, and he came through with a 6-3 win of his own to put the Patriots up 4-1.
The Rattlers added one more win in the #3 line, but the Patriots were able to notch a win in the #5 line as
Jordi Garcia Portell earned a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win in his match to make the final score 5-2.
WOMEN'S MATCH: #29 UT Tyler: 3, #37 St. Mary's: 4
The Patriots women would get rolling at 1 p.m. on Thursday as they took on #37 ranked St. Mary's. However, the Rattlers would run out early and ultimately take down the Patriots, handing them their first LSC defeat of the year.
Doubles began with a 6-1 win from
Yona Bancarel and
Natalia Gorzny as they put together a dominant effort. However, the Rattlers responded with a pair of wins in the #2 and #3 lines to take the doubles point and move ahead 1-0.
In singles, the Rattlers kept the momentum up, taking both the #6 and #4 lines in straight sets to lead 3-0. The Patriots however would stave off the match point, as
Allison Schwartz earned a 7-5, 6-4 straight sets win in line #5 and put the Patriots on the board.
The Rattlers however kept up the momentum, getting another win in the #3 line, earning their fourth point of the day and the final point they would score of the match to ensure the win.
Bancarel would battle back in line #1 after falling 4-6 in the first set, earning wins of 7-5 and 1-0 (10-5) to put the Patriots on the board yet again. The final point of the day came from Gorzny, who completed her match with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 win in line #2 to make the final score 4-3 in favor of the Rattlers.
The Patriots will now look ahead to Friday's action as they host DBU to conclude Alumni Weekend at the Summers Tennis Center. The men's match will begin at 10 a.m. and the women's match will begin at 1 p.m.
