Editor's Rating
In the rhythmic symphony of tennis racquets meeting the ball. The ETSU men’s tennis team stepped onto the court for their season opener, ready to battle the No.15 Demon Deacons of Wake Forest on the road on Monday night. Looking to improve from last season’s woes, under the moniker of “true underdogs,” the Bucs were looking to fight for a victory.
Despite the great attempt, the Deacons were able to walk away victorious in a 6-1 score. Wake Forrest Men’s Tennis team was able to capture all three doubles matches, in addition to five of the six singles matches played. ETSU’s lonely point came from Red-shirt Junior, Francisco Lamas (Maracay, Venezuela). Lamas was able to capture a win over Deacons Jamieson Nathan in three sets, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 1-0 (13-11).
Looking at the other singles and doubles matches, The Bucs fought on, only coming up short despite their efforts. Seventh-ranked Filippo Moroni of Wake Forest def. 55th ranked Dimitri Badra (Maracay, Venezuela) 6-2, 6-4. In a single battle.
On the side of doubles competition, the traveling battling Bucs duo of Badra and Lamas felt the sting of defeat to the Deacons’ own, 18th ranked DK Suresh Ekambaram and Holden Koons.
Reflecting on the overall match, the order of the finish for the singles matches was 4,2,3,5,1 with Wake Forest securing victories in four consecutive matches before Lamas’s standout performance.
As the ETSU men’s tennis teams look forward, the experience earned even in a loss can become a valuable asset this season. With a quick turnaround ahead, the team is scheduled to face the Vanderbilt Commodores of the SEC on Wednesday at 1 p.m, in another road matchup in Nashville.
The Bucs will be aiming for their first victory of the season, proving they can bounce back and showcase their road strengths early in the ongoing tennis season. Fans can expect a challenging, competitive, and exciting season ahead.
For more information about ETSU men’s tennis, visit ETSUBucs.com.
