BABSON PARK, Fla. - The Eckerd men's tennis team earned its first win of the season at Warner (Fla.), 5-1, Friday afternoon at the Webber Campus Tennis Courts.
The Tritons (1-2) beat the Royals (1-4) after earning the doubles point and winning four of five singles matches, with the final match called due to darkness.
The duo of Pierre-Olivier Lassalle and Prakrut Patel got things going early for the Tritons, winning the No. 1 doubles draw 6-3. Christian Kearns and Arthur de Souza Fonseca won their match out of the No. 2 doubles position, 6-2. Eric Asakura and Arik Suez capped off EC's doubles performance with a 6-1 win, as Eckerd easily won the doubles point.
Patel went the distance in the No. 1 singles draw, winning the first set 6-3, but lost the second set 6-2 before winning in a third-set tiebreak, 10-7. Lassalle won his match in No. 2 singles 6-0 and 6-4. The Tritons clinched the match win in the third set, as Fonseca beat Warner's Richard Hartmann in a third-set tiebreak, 3-6, 6-4, and 10-7.
Kearns also won his singles matchup, going 6-1 and 6-3 against Miguel Ferreira in the No. 4 slot.
Eckerd continues its road trip with a neutral site match at Davenport (Mich.) in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday at 3:00 PM.
Singles competition
1. Prakrut Patel (ECM) def. Felipe Gil (WAR-M) 6-3, 2-6, 10-7
2. Pierre Lassalle (ECM) def. Davide Pelletti (WAR-M) 6-0, 6-4
3. Arthur Fonseca (ECM) def. Richard Hartmann (WAR-M) 3-6, 6-4, 10-7
4. Christian Kearns (ECM) def. Miguel Ferreira (WAR-M) 6-1, 6-3
5. Malik Freeman (WAR-M) vs. Eric Asakura (ECM) 6-7, unfinished
6. Jake Edwards (WAR-M) def. Arik Suez (ECM) 6-7, 6-2, 10-4
Doubles competition
1. Pierre Lassalle/Prakrut Patel (ECM) def. Davide Pelletti/Felipe Gil (WAR-M) 6-3
2. Christian Kearns/Arthur Fonseca (ECM) def. Richard Hartmann/Miguel Ferreira (WAR-M) 6-2
3. Eric Asakura/Arik Suez (ECM) def. Malik Freeman/Jake Edwards (WAR-M) 6-1
