The men’s tennis team swung back into action Sunday at home. The ETSU Bucs faced Tennessee Tech in the battle for bragging rights.
ETSU came into this match at 6-4, but would leave 7-4, as they defeated the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (2-6). The men’s tennis team is also undefeated in the Southern Conference with a perfect 2-0 record.
The men were able to win the singles and sweep the doubles to advance Sunday. “We played better today than we have collectively all this year,” coach Yaser Zaatini said.
“It is pretty tough to satisfy me completely, though.”
Starting off doubles play in the No. 1 slot were Oscar Posada and Alejandro Salazar who defeated Marco Born and Luis Aguerrevere 8-6, while the No. 2 slot matched Diego Iglesias and Moises Serrano against Razvan Ilie and William Chappell with the score also ending in an 8-6 ETSU victory.
Fernando Fiuri and Felix Insaurralde were also victorious in the third seed defeating Christoph Lerch and Dominik Hecht, 8-2.
The match continued in singles action with the Bucs winning four of its six matches. Posada defeated Aguerrevere 6-3, 6-4 in the No. 2 slot; Iglesias defeated Ilie 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the No. 3 slot; Fiuri defeated Michele Panzeri 6-2, 6-1 to claim the No. 4 slot for the Bucs; and Serrano conquered the No. 5 slot with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 win over Tennessee Tech’s Chappell.
The Golden Eagles were able to muster out two wins in the match with Born defeating Salazar in the No. 1 slot 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; and Hecht defeating Insaurralde 6-4, 6-3 to claim the No. 6 slot.
“We have a tough road ahead, the next three matches will be hard,” Zaatini said. “Two teams are ranked in the top 50 and will be strong competition. We have to play solid throughout – if we show weakness they will rip us apart.”
The Bucs will travel to Louisville, Ky., for a March 19 match at 3:30 p.m.
After that, the Bucs will play Old Dominion on March 26 and UAB on March 27, both being played in Norfolk, VA.
They then return home to play Charleston Southern on April 2.

Author