Jags drop heartbreaker to The Citadel despite doubles dominance

By Rodrigo Burgos Avila | Editor in Chief

The Augusta University men’s tennis team suffered a narrow defeat against Division I opponent The Citadel on Monday afternoon, falling 4-3 in Charleston, S.C.

The Jags proved that they can compete against the best of the best despite being a Division II program. On the first half of the matchup, Augusta secured a sweep in doubles, winning all three to earn the opening point. At No. 1 doubles, Alejandro Carbonell and Humberto Pinto earned an effortless 6-2 win over Ted Bagwell and Brady Gober while Arthur Valette and David Perret followed them by posting the same score at No.2, defeating Noah Van Dyke and Nick Stroumpis. At No. 3, Alexis Bailhache and Tommy Matsumine wrapped the doubles part of the day with a nail bitter against Reece Beckendorf and Anthony Osipov, winning with a score of 7-5.

The Bulldogs clawed their way back in singles play. Perret delivered a huge victory for the Jags at No. 1 singles, defeating Van Dyke in straight sets (6-3, 6-4). Valette dropped a three-setter at No. 2 against Gober. The senior from Lyon, France won the first set 7-5, but Gober, a freshman from Atlanta, battled his way back into the match, winning sets two and three with a 6-3 score. At No.3 Bailhache showed his Jaguar pride by winning yet another three-setter against Stroumpis with scores of 7-5, 3-6, and 6-3.

The Citadel was able to secure the victory with wins at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 singles. At No. 4, Pinto forced a third set, but was unable to complete the comeback against Bagwell, who put the Spaniard away with scores of 6-4, 3-6 and 4-6. Tommy Matsumine was swept by Beckendorf at No. 5, while Enzo Sakiyama dropped a very tight match against Hardin Graham.

With the loss, Augusta falls to 2-4 on the season. The Jaguars will travel to Francis Marion on Saturday, Feb. 28 for a matchup against the Patriots. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m..

Contact Rodrigo Burgos Avila at rburgosavila@augusta.edu.