Eckerd Falls Just Short Against Jefferson

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd men's tennis team fell to Thomas Jefferson University (Pa.) Tuesday morning at the Fred Bullard Courts.

Eckerd (7-3) dropped the doubles point, falling in all three positions.

Eckerd battled back after dropping the doubles point to take two singles matches, trailing 3-2 in the match. Batu Ataseven, in the No. 1 slot, fought hard through two sets, both in tiebreak, to secure his victory, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2). In the No. 4 position, Hulett was the other Triton to finish his match through two sets, securing another point for the Tritons. 

Adrian Gheorghe came up clutched in the No. 5 spot, taking his match in three sets, with a 7-5 victory in set three. The match came down to Lukas Palla in the No. 6 spot, who battled to a 7-6 (7-5) tiebreak victory in the first set. After Soto Ballester forced a third set, neither went down without a fight, with the team's fate decided in a third set tiebreak. Palla narrowly fell in the tiebreak, 7-4 for Jefferson to take the match. 

Eckerd  returns to action and conference play on Saturday, March 15 against Palm Beach Atlantic at the Fred Bullard Courts.

Singles competition 

1. Batu Ataseven (ECM25) def. Mario Antonio (JEFFMT24) 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2)

2. Jules Thibault (JEFFMT24) def. Mario Kirkoc (ECM25) 0-6, 7-5, 6-4

3. Anthony Moukarzel (JEFFMT24) def. Eric Asakura (ECM25) 6-2, 6-1

4. Marshall Hulett (ECM25) def. Johary Rabetrano (JEFFM24) 6-2, 6-1

5. Adrian Gheorghe (ECM25) def. A. Mateos Melenchon (JEFFM24) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5

6. E. Soto Ballester (JEFFMT24) def. Lukas Palla (ECM25) 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)

Doubles competition 

1. Mario Antonio and Filip Slavkovic (JEFFMT24) def. Batu Ataseven and Mario Kirkov (ECM25) 6-2

2. Anthony Moukarzel and E. Soto Ballester (JEFFMT24) def. Adrian Gheorghe and Marshall Hulett (ECM25) 6-4

3. A. Mateos Melenchon and Jules Thibault (JEFFMT24) def. Eric Asakura and Lukas Palla (ECM25) 6-3