TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler tennis split their action with West Alabama on Saturday behind a 4-0 win for the men and a 4-2 defeat for the women.
WOMEN'S MATCH: #20 UT Tyler 2 | #3 West Alabama 4
The #20 Patriots women would lead off the day in a tough battle with the #3 Tigers. That battle began in doubles, where the Patriots gained the upper hand in the match with strong play in the #1 and #2 lines.
Carla Rodier and
Maria Antonio Ortega in the #2 line got things rolling, taking a 6-4 win. Next up was
Yona Bancarel and
Natalia Gorzny, who also took a 6-4 win in the #1 line, ensuring the Patriots took a 1-0 lead heading into singles.
In singles, it was the Tigers who battled back early, taking the #3 and #2 lines to take the lead. Bancarel would steady the flow, rattling off a 6-0 win in set one and answering a 3-6 defeat in set two with a 6-3 win in set three to even up the match and make it 2-2 overall.
In line #4, the Tigers would get another win, ultimately putting themselves into match point. In line #6,
Claudia Di Leonardo would fall 6-1 to start her match, but battled right back with a 7-5 win in set two to force a third set. In that third set, she would battle from a 1-3 deficit to draw even at 3-3, but the Tigers took the next three games to take the win and the match at 4-2.
MEN'S MATCH: #5 UT Tyler 4 | West Alabama 0
The #5 UT Tyler men got off to a brilliant start in their match, sweeping the doubles matches to begin the team match with a 1-0 lead.
Trevor Short and
Job Japelj began with a 6-4 win in line #3, and
Artiom Dorofeev and
Malo Poulesquen followed right behind with a 6-3 win to ensure the point.
Daniil Felker and
Carel Wessel capped off the sweep with a dramatic 7-6 win that featured a 7-5 tiebreaker in their favor.
In singles, the Patriots poured it on, taking the #2, #3, and #4 lines on their way to a 4-0 win. Poulesquen in line #2 never trailed in his match on the way to a 6-1, 6-3 win in straight sets.
Wessel in line #3 would follow a similar path, never trailing in his match on the way to a 6-4, 6-1 straight sets win of his own that included five straight game wins in his second set.
Samuel Antwi capped off the brilliant effort in the #4 line. He trailed early in his first set at 1-2, but he ripped off five straight games to take a 6-2 win. In set two, he took the first three games but would fall back into a 3-3 tie. Down the stretch, he would win three straight games yet again, taking a 6-3 win in set two to pick up a win.
UT Tyler will cap off a big weekend of tennis on their home courts on Sunday, where they take on Auburn Montgomery at 10 a.m. The women's side of the Warhawks is ranked #25, while the men are unranked.
