ETSU men’s tennis looked to get the season back on the right track on Saturday when they hosted the Radford Highlander’s in a non-conference matchup in the seasons home opener.
The Bucs were nothing short of dominant in their singles completion, taking five of six sets (one by default) helping prevail the team to their second win of the season. Their only lose in singles play came in the fashion of a three set joust.
The key takeaway match from singles competition on Saturday was sophomore James Sim’s (New Zealand) duel taking both sets in 6-1 fashion. Redshirt Dimitri Badra (Maracay, Venezuela) also had a breakout performance in singles competition defeating Radford’s Guilherme Severin 6-3 and 6-2 to secure the point for the Buccaneers.
The Bucs also went on to take two out of three of the matchups in doubles competition over the Highlanders (one by default).
Senior Milledge Cossu (Miami Beach, Fla.) and senior Adam Nagoudi (Tunis, Tunisia) made easy work of the Highlanders pair defeating them 6-4.
Radford’s sole duo win was nothing short of a challenge, taking on the Buccaneers star players Badra and Francisco Lamas (Maracay, Venezuela). The match would come down to the wire but ultimately the pair succumbed to the visiting Highlander’s 7-6.
Badra and Lamas, arguably the Bucs most talented duo, look to get into the win column at next weeks outing. By doing so, they’ll collect their first duos win of the season as a pair.
With the win on Saturday, the Bucs moved to 2-3 on the season. A good sign in getting back to their dominant selves before conference play begins on Feb. 26.
ETSU’s men’s tennis looks to keep the momentum going in the right direction next Saturday, Feb. 3, when they’ll travel to the Music City and take on the Belmont Bruins at Ensworth Tennis Center. The match is scheduled for 5 p.m.
For more information about ETSU men’s tennis, visit ETSUBucs.com.
