ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd men's tennis team fell 6-1 to the Rattlers of St. Mary's University (Texas) on Monday afternoon at the Bullard Courts.
The Tritons (5-4) fell to the Rattlers (6-4) after dropping the doubles point and taking only one singles match.
The Tritons fell in doubles play after a hot start in the No.1 draw. Batu Ataseven and Esteve Augusti were the first to finish, as they defeated the Rattlers' top pairing of Ryan Koth and Alvaro Soler. St. Mary's tied it up with a win in the No. 3 slot, before clinching the doubles point in the No. 2 spot with a 6-3 victory.
The Tritons fell to a 3-0 hole in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. Ataseven gave the Tritons their lone point on the day with a huge upset victory over the No. 31 nationally ranked Alvaro Soler, downing Soler in three sets. Soler took set one, 6-1, when Ataseven rallied back with sets of 6-2, 7-5, to complete the upset.
The Rattlers clinched the victory in the No.4 draw, as Sam Walker dropped to Oskar Irdoja 6-2, 6-2. Phil Grueninger put up a fight in the No. 5 position, rebounding from a sweep in the first set 6-0 to take set two 6-3. He ultimately fell 10-4 in the final set.
The Tritons are home tomorrow for a matchup against Post University (Conn.), with first serve at 4:00 PM.
Singles competition
1. Batu Ataseven (ECM) def. #31 Alvaro Soler (STMU) 1-6, 6-2, 7-5
2. Ryan Koth (STMU) def. Eric Asakura (ECM) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Daniel Matheu Baldor (STMU) def. Christian Kearns (ECM) 6-0, 6-4
4. Oskar Irdoja (STMU) def. Sam Walker (ECM) 6-2, 6-1
5. Jake Faryniarz (STMU) def. Phil Grueninger (ECM) 6-0, 3-6, 1-0 (10-4)
6. Nicolas Llosa (STMU) def. Arik Suez (ECM) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Batu Ataseven/Esteve Augusti (ECM) def. Ryan Koth/Alvaro Soler (STMU) 6-2
2. Jake Faryniarz/Nicolas Llosa (STMU) def. Eric Asakura/Sam Walker (ECM) 6-3
3. Aaron Ben Anton/Sebastian Azcui (STMU) def. Jon William Karlstad/Christian Kearns (ECM) 6-3
