Men's Tennis Defeats Troy 4-1 in Season Opener

Friday, January 15

LOUISVILLE, KY.

12 PM

University of Louisville

Troy

January 15, 2016 | Men's Tennis

Cards post four straight-set wins in singles after losing the doubles point in season opener

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville men's tennis team opened the 2016 season with a 4-1 win over visiting Troy in the first match of a doubleheader Friday at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.

The Trojans struck first in the match, winning on courts two and three to take the doubles point. Pablo Moreno and Mustapha Belcora defeated Louisville junior Sean Donohue and freshman Carlos Longhi Neto 6-3 at the No. 3 spot, but seniors Jeffrey Brown and Alex Gornet answered with a 6-3 victory over Andre Baldo and Felipe Mansson at the No. 1 seed. The doubles point came down to the court two where Troy's Andy Lau and Giovani Samaha beat sophomore Courtney Lock and freshman George Hedley 6-3.

In singles action, the Cardinals used straight-set wins at Nos. 2, 6, 5 and 4 to claim their first victory of the season.

Louisville got on the scoreboard at the two-spot where Brown defeated Lau 6-0 in the first set and rallied from deficits of 3-0 and 4-1 to pick up a 6-4 second set win to tie the match at 1-1.

Freshman Christian Haushammer pulled Louisville ahead 2-1 when he defeated Belcora 6-3, 6-3 at No. 6. Lock's 6-0, 6-4 victory over Moreno on court three increased the lead to 3-1. Junior Sean Donohue sealed the win by beating Mansson 7-5, 6-3 at No. 4.

On court one, Gornet - No. 108 in the ITA singles rankings - picked up a 6-2 first set win over Daniel Bustamante, but fell 4-6 in the set. He was up 3-1 in the third when Donohue clinched the match. At the No. 3 spot, freshman Brandon Lancaster lost his first set 4-6 to Samaha, but the players were knotted at 6-6 in the second and had just started a tiebreaker when the match ended.

"Troy is going for its third straight conference championship this year," said UofL head coach Rex Ecarma. "That team returned most of its starters from last year and will most likely be playing in its third straight NCAA tournament. We have five out of six new starters this year… honestly this is the most inexperienced team I've ever had in 26 seasons. For us to flip it after losing the doubles point was something that really means a lot to me and the team. It showed that we could get down against a veteran team and beat them – so that was special."

The Cardinals (1-0) will take on Dayton at 7 p.m. Friday in the second half of their season-opening doubleheader.

#36 Louisville 4, #63 Troy 1
Jan 15, 2016 at Louisville, Ky.
(Bass-Rudd Tennis Center)
Singles
1. #108 Alex Gornet (LOU) vs. Daniel Bustamante (TROY) 6-2, 4-6, 3-1, unfinished
2. Jeffrey Brown (LOU) def. Andy Lau (TROY) 6-0, 6-4
3. Brandon Lancaster (LOU) vs. Giovani Samaha (TROY) 4-6, 6-6, unfinished
4. Sean Donohue (LOU) def. F. Mansson (TROY) 7-5, 6-3
5. Courtney Lock (LOU) def. Pablo Moreno (TROY) 6-0, 6-4
6. Christian Haushammer (LOU) def. Mustapha Belcora (TROY) 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish: 2,6,5,4
Doubles
1. #57 Jeffrey Brown/Alex Gornet (LOU) def. Andre Baldo/F. Mansson (TROY) 6-3
2. Andy Lau/Giovani Samaha (TROY) def. Courtney Lock/George Hedley (LOU) 6-3
3. Pablo Moreno/Mustapha Belcora (TROY) def. Sean Donohue/Carlos Longhi Neto (LOU) 6-3
Order of finish: 3,1,2

Troy 0-1; National ranking #63
Louisville 1-0; National ranking #36
T-2:20 A-79