Louisville Defeats Illinois State 5-1

Sunday, March 31

LOUISVILLE, KY

7:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

ILLINOIS STATE

March 31, 2019 | Men's Tennis

Box Score Coach Rex Ecarma Post Match Interview Federico Gomez Post Match Interview

Cards improve to 14-9

By: Lori Korte

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville men's tennis team defeated Illinois State 5-1 Sunday evening at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.

"We had a slow start in doubles but we got through it," said UofL head coach Rex Ecarma. "-Then we had a little bit of a slow start in singles, and we just pushed through it. It's always a battle with them. Their guys fight really, really hard. They don't give us an inch. You just have to win in a slow grind like that.

The Cardinals (14-9) grabbed the doubles point to start the match. The duo of senior Federico Gomez and freshman Marcus Sulen gave Louisville an early edge by beating Jorge Quispe and Deigo Herrera 6-3 on court two. Senior Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff and freshman Fabien Salle secured the point with a 7-5 victory over Egehan Sertkaya and Aleksa Lazarevic at the No. 1 spot.

In singles action, freshman Alex Wesbrooks quickly added to the lead with a 6-4, 6-1 decision against Sertkaya on court six. Senior Brandon Lancaster brought the match score to 3-0 when he beat Pos Rius Botifoll 6-4, 6-1 at the No. 2 spot. Gomez clinched the victory on court four where he defeated Quispe 6-4, 6-4. Freshman Sergio Hernandez posted a 7-5, 6-1 win over Lazarevic at No. 3 to push the Cardinals' lead to 5-0.

The Redbirds got on the scored on court five where Herrera defeated freshman David Mizrahi 7-5, 6-0.

The matchup at No. 1 between freshman Fabien Salle and Igor Kolaric was suspended after each player won and set and the match was already decided.

Up next, Louisville will hit the road for a pair of ACC matches at Clemson on Friday and No. 29 Georgia Tech on Sunday.

Louisville 5, Illinois State 1
03/31/2019 at Louisville, Ky.
(Bass-Rudd Tennis Center)
Singles
1. Fabien Salle (LOU) vs. Igor Kolaric (ILS) 4-6, 6-3, unfinished
2. Brandon Lancaster (LOU) def. Pol Rius Botifoll (ILS) 6-4, 6-1
3. Sergio Hernandez (LOU) def. Aleksa Lazarevic (ILS) 7-5, 6-1
4. Federico Gomez (LOU) def. Jorge Quispe (ILS) 6-4, 6-4
5. Diego Herrera (ILS) def. David Mizrahi (LOU) 7-5, 6-0
6. Alex Wesbrooks (LOU) def. Egehan Sertkaya (ILS) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
1. Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff/Fabien Salle (LOU) def. Egehan Sertkaya/Aleksa Lazarevic (ILS) 7-5
2. Federico Gomez/Marcus Sulen (LOU) def. Jorge Quispe/Diego Herrera (ILS) 6-3
3. Brandon Lancaster/Alex Wesbrooks (LOU) vs. Igor Kolaric/Zacharias Rasmusson (ILS) 6-5, unfinished

Match Notes:
Illinois State 12-8
Louisville Men's Tennis 14-9
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (6,2,4,3,5)
T-2:18 A-134