Sunday, 03/18/2012

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The George Washington men’s tennis team earned a 4-3 decision over East Carolina on Sunday afternoon to complete a perfect 4-0 mark on its Spring Break road swing and improve its record to 7-6.

Senior Ugur Atalay and junior Alexander van Gils both went undefeated over Spring Break at their respective flights. Atalay is currently on a team-high five-match winning streak at the No. 2 spot.

The Colonials took a 1-0 lead over the Pirates (10-5) when they earned the doubles point with victories in two of the three matches. The duo of van Gils and sophomore Ulrik Thomsen defeated the Pirates’ John Schmitt and Patriek Wolterbeek in the No. 2 doubles match by an 8-4 score.

In the No. 3 match, junior Leonardo Lapentti and sophomore Viktor Svensson downed Damien Brenard and Nicolas Soriano, 8-5. Atalay and freshman Francisco Dias fell to Niels Cleeren and Joran Vliegen, 8-5, in the No. 1 match.

Dias, ranked No. 80 in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, downed the Pirates’ Vliegen, 6-3, 6-4, in the No. 1 singles match. Atalay glided to a 6-2, 6-1 second-flight victory over Soriano, and van Gils earned a 6-3, 6-2 decision over Cleeren in the No. 3 match.

Senior Richard Blumenfeld fell to Schmitt in the No. 4 match in three sets, 1-6, 6-1, 6-2. In the No. 5 match, Lapentti was edged by Brenard by set scores of 7-5, 7-5, and Svensson dropped a 7-5, 6-3 decision to Mario Martinez in the No. 6 match.

The Colonials travel to Annapolis, Md., to face Navy on Wednesday, March 21, before returning home to host District-rival Georgetown for their home opener on Friday, March 23.


George Washington 4, East Carolina 3
Singles
No. 1 – #80 Francisco Dias (GW) def. Joran Vliegen (ECU) – 6-3, 6-4
No. 2 – Ugur Atalay (GW) def. Nicolas Soriano (ECU) – 6-2, 6-1
No. 3 – Alexander van Gils (GW) def. Niels Cleeren (ECU) – 6-3, 6-2
No. 4 – John Schmitt (ECU) def. Richard Blumenfeld (GW) – 1-6, 6-1, 6-2
No. 5 – Damien Brenard (ECU) def. Leonardo Lapentti (GW) – 7-5, 7-5
No. 6 – Mario Martinez (ECU) def. Viktor Svensson (GW) – 7-5, 6-3

Doubles
No. 1 – Cleeren/Vliegen (ECU) def. Atalay/Dias (GW) – 8-5
No. 2 – Thomsen/van Gils (GW) def. Schmitt/Wolterbeek (ECU) – 8-4
No. 3 – Lapentti/Svensson (GW) def. Brenard/Soriano (ECU) – 8-5

- GW -