Kennesaw State’s men’s tennis successfully collected its third consecutive win of the season against the Samford Bulldogs on Jan. 21 in a 5-2 victory.
KSU won four singles and the doubles point to collect its second consecutive win in the series against Samford.
The Owls scored big on courts two and three, winning the doubles point. Kevin Patel and Anthony Weingarten defeated the Bulldogs’ Matthew Gooch and Yerrassyl Murat by a score of 6-2. Hugo Salmeron and Harvey Conway soared in doubles winning against opponents, Santiago Arredondo and Harrison Williams, with a score of 6-4 giving a 1-0 advantage to the Owls.
Conway continued his hot streak by winning over Samford’s J.B. Pickard with a 6-1, 6-1 victory. Salmeron pushed the Owls further ahead to 3-1 after finishing 6-4, 6-3 opposing Maxwell Giddens. Weingarten secured the win in singles with a 7-6 (9-7), 6-6 (7-2) against the Bulldogs’ Darcy Nichols. Closing the match, Seru Tezuka wrapped up the game with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win over Santiago Arrendondo.
KSU gained their second win of the season on the road against Alabama State in a 4-3 match.
“I thought we showed tremendous leadership across the board following a poor start in the doubles,” Director of Tennis Matt Emery said. “We are excited to compete as hard as we can again tomorrow against a tough Samford team on the road.”
KSU notched its 13th consecutive win in the series with securing four singles over the Hornets.
ASU persisted to put up a fight with victories on courts one and three.
Conway defeated the Hornets’ Ruan Du Preez on court two by a score of 6-2, 6-2. Weingarten prevailed over opponent Alexandre Verlaguet for a score of 6-1, 6-3. Salmeron celebrated his first win of the year with a score of 6-2, 6-4 against Samrakshyak Bajracharya. Tezuka secured the win for KSU after a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Matis Amier.
KSU opened the season at home, dominating Mercer in a successful 6-1 win. The match went down as the seventh consecutive home win dating back to last season for the Owls. KSU also earned its third consecutive win in the series against the Bears, collecting the doubles point and five singles.
Against Mercer, the Owls won the doubles on courts two and three. Finishing 6-2, Conway and Weingarten competed against Nemanja Stefanovic and Marceau Foulihoux on court three. Salmeron and David Leon totaled 6-1 over Andrew Branicki and Samuel Barrow. Raul Garcia and Tezuka teamed up to compete against Mariano Argote and Samuel MacLeod which resulted in a tied 3-3 score on court one.
Giving a 2-0 lead to KSU, Garcia scored 6-3, 6-2 over Mariano Argote. Tezuka racked up 6-3, 6-4 against Marceau Foulihoux. Conway clinched the game for the Owls against Nemanja Stefanovic, ending with 7-6 (7-1), 6-3. Leon saw his first collegiate win with a score of 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-1 against the Bears’ Andrew Branicki. Weingarten achieved his first collegiate win against Mercer’s Barrow, finishing with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
KSU will return home at Betty Siegel Courts on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 11 a.m. to take on Gardner Webb.
