Tuesday, 02/28/2012

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men’s tennis team dropped only one set Tuesday, claiming a 9-0 South Atlantic Conference victory over Lenoir-Rhyne University at the WU Tennis Complex. The match was the SAC opener for the defending SAC regular season champion Bulldogs.

Wingate improves to 6-2 overall and 1-0 in the SAC. The Bulldogs play Columbus State Tuesday in Milledgeville, Ga. First serve for the neutral site regional match is 2 p.m. Lenoir-Rhyne is 0-5 overall and 0-4 in the SAC. The L-R Bears visit Mount Olive Sunday for a 12 noon encounter.

The Bulldogs started the day with three identical 8-5 doubles victories. At the number one flight, senior Flavio Rathsam (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and sophomore Ryan Forbes (Charlotte, N.C.) defeated L-R senior Aroon Khatter (Pune, India) and sophomore Tommy Brennan (Miami, Fla.). Rathsam and Forbes were two of five Wingate players to win two matches each Tuesday.

In singles, Rathsam defeated Brennan 7-5, 6-0 at the number one singles flight. For his singles career, Rathsam is 52-8 overall and 23-2 in the SAC. Forbes topped L-R junior David Richardson (Wake Forest, N.C.) 6-3, 6-2.

Senior Drew Owen (Kitchener, Ontario) defeated Khatter 6-1, 6-2 at the number two singles flight. Earlier in the day, Owen paired with freshman Diego Martinez (Queretaro, Mexico) to defeat Richardson and senior Michael Owens (Clinton, S.C.) in the number two doubles match. Martinez blanked Bear sophomore Robby Blackburn (Palmetto, Fla.) 6-0, 6-0 in the number three singles match.

Bulldog freshman Josh Eardley (Newcastle, Staffordshire, England) also won two matches in his SAC debut. In doubles, he teamed with senior Matt Lichtenstein (Darnestown, Md.) to take the decision at the number three spot. In singles, Eardley split sets with L-R senior Graydon Dunn (Charlotte, N.C.) before earning the ninth and final team point with a 10-5 super-tiebreaker victory.   

Tennis Match Results
Lenoir-Rhyne vs Wingate
Feb 28, 2012 at Wingate, N.C.
(WU Tennis Complex)

Wingate 9, Lenoir-Rhyne 0

Singles competition

1. Flavio Rathsam (WIN) def. Tommy Brennan (L-R) 7-5, 6-0
2. Drew Owen (WIN) def. Aroon Khatter (L-R) 6-1, 6-2
3. Diego Martinez (WIN) def. Robby Blackburn (L-R) 6-0, 6-0
4. Neal Towlson (WIN) def. Michael Owens (L-R) 6-0, 6-1
5. Ryan Forbes (WIN) def. David Richardson (L-R) 6-3, 6-2
6. Josh Eardley (WIN) def. Graydon Dunn (L-R) 5-7, 6-0, 1-0 (5)

Doubles competition

1. Rathsam/Forbes (WIN) def. Brennan/Khatter (L-R) 8-5
2. Owen/Martinez (WIN) def. Owens/Richardson (L-R) 8-5
3. Eardley/Matt Lichtenstein (WIN) def. Dunn/Jarod Styres (L-R) 8-5

Match Notes:

Lenoir-Rhyne 0-5; 0-4 SAC
Wingate 6-2; 1-0 SAC
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (3,2,1,4,5,6)