No. 71 MTennis Falls 4-3 to No. 48 Pepperdine
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The No. 71 University of Miami men’s tennis team fell 4-3 in a heartbreaking loss to No. 48 Pepperdine at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla. The Canes won two singles matches and a pair of doubles matches.
The day began with doubles play where the Canes found great success. Senior Henrique Tsukamoto and freshman Piotr Lomacki teamed up and defeated Rakshay Thakkar and Pedro Iamachkine, 8-3. The freshman duo of Nile Clark and Alexander Fahnehjelm battled hard but were unable to finish against Tom Hill and Stefan Menichella falling, 8-4.
Doubles play then concluded after senior Wilfredo Gonzalez and Kevin Bondar clinched the doubles point in a tight match against Guilherme Hadlich and Lautaro Pane, 8-5. Gonzalez and Bondar are now 5-0 together this spring in doubles action.
“I was very pleased with our doubles at No. 1 and No. 2, they played at a very high level,” said head coach Mario Rincon.
In singles action, No. 62 Lomacki controlled his match against Stefan Menicella, 6-2, 6-3. Gonzalez also found success in singles play and won his match in dominant fashion against Tom Hill, 6-0, 6-1. Gonzalez has only given up one game in two consecutive matches.
Fellow senior Tsukamoto battled in the first set but was out matched in the second against Rakshay Thakkar, 7-5, 6-1. Freshman Christian Langmo fell in straight sets Guilherme Hadlich, 6-3, 6-3.
Fellow freshman Andrew Harrington controlled the first set but was unable to maintain a consistent rhythm and fell to Luca Marquard, 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. Sophomore Bernard Tefel, a local native of Miami, Fla., had the opportunity to clinch the match for the Canes, but could not finish in a three-set epic against Pedro Iamachkine, 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-2.
“I thought we had a great chance to win this one and we let the match slip away,” said head coach Rincon. “We just have to keep on working and addressing our weaknesses. Day by day our guys are improving in the areas that they need to.”
The Canes will be back in action in two weeks when Miami hosts Bethune-Cookman in a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. and again at 4 p.m.
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#48 Pepperdine 4, #71 Miami 3
Singles Competition
1. #62 Piotr Lomacki (UM) def. Stefan Manichella (PEP), 6-2, 6-3
2. Guilherme Hadlich (PEP) def. Christian Langmo (UM), 6-3, 6-3
3. Rakshay Thakkar (PEP) def. Henrique Tsukamoto (UM), 7-5, 6-1
4. Wilfredo Gonzalez (UM) def. Tom Hill (PEP), 6-0, 6-1
5. Pedro Iamachkine (PEP) def. Bernard Tefel (UM), 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-2
6. Luca Marquard (PEP) def. Andrew Harrington (UM), 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1. Tsukamoto/Lomacki (UM) def. Thakkar/Iamachkine (PEP), 8-3
2. Gonzalez/Bondar (UM) vs. Hadlich/Pane (PEP), 8-5
3. Hill/Menichella (PEP) def. Clark/Fahnehjelm (UM), 8-4
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,4,2,3,6,5)
