@CanesMensTennis Falls to No. 37 Notre Dame
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes men’s tennis team fell, 4-3, in a hard-fought dual match to No. 37 Notre Dame Friday afternoon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla.
“It was a really close match, it is really tough to win four singles against a top team,” said head coach Mario Rincon. “We got off to a slow start in doubles; we will have to play much better the rest of the way in doubles.”
The match began with doubles play where the Canes faced tough competition. Senior Wilfredo Gonzalez and freshman Kevin Bondar secured an 8-4 win against No. 22 Eddy Covalschi and Josh Hagar. The freshman duo of Piotr Lomacki and Nile Clark fell in a difficult match against No. 9 Alex Lawson and Billy Pecor, 8-2.
Sophomore Bernard Tefel and freshman Christian Langmo fell in a close match to Dougie Bernard and Quentin Monaghan, 8-6, clinching the doubles point for the Irish.
After the doubles point, the Canes transitioned to singles play and came out with renewed energy.
Lone sophomore Tefel was able to dispatch his opponent Brendon Kempin in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3.
At the number two singles, Langmo competed hard and came away with a solid victory against Eddy Covalschi, 6-4, 6-4.
Senior Henrique Tsukamoto fell in the first set and came back to win two straight sets to come away with the win against Alex Lawson, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.
“It was a really good win for Christian, Bernard and Henrique,” said coach Rincon. “They worked really hard this week and competed really well.”
No. 77 Lomacki was unable to develop a rhythm and fell in a tough match against No. 17 Quentin Monaghan, 6-0, 6-1.
Fellow freshman Clark could not close out in a close match against Kenneth Sabacisnski, 7-5, 7-6(2).
Senior Gonzalez fell to Josh Hagar, 6-3, 6-4, which clinched the victory for Notre Dame after a valiant comeback by the Canes.
The Canes will be back at home on Sunday, March 29 when they host Boston College at 12 p.m. at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
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#37 Notre Dame 4, Miami 3
Singles Competition
1. #17 Quentin Monaghan (ND) def. #77 Piotr Lomacki (UM), 6-0, 6-1
2. Christian Langmo (UM) def. Eddy Covalschi (ND), 6-4, 6-4
3. Josh Hagar (ND) def. Wilfredo Gonzalez (UM), 6-3, 6-4
4. Henrique Tsukamoto (UM) def. Alex Lawson (ND), 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
5. Kenneth Sabacinski (ND) def. Nile Clark (UM), 7-5, 7-6(2)
6. Bernard Tefel (UM) def. Brendon Kempin (ND), 6-1, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. #9 Lawson/Pecor (ND) def. Lomacki/Clark (UM), 8-2
2. Gonzalez/Bondar (UM) def. #22 Covalschi/Hagar (ND), 8-4
3. Barnard/Monaghan (ND) def. Tefel/Langmo (UM), 8-6
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,6,2,5,4,3)
