Results

ATLANTA, Ga. - George Washington claimed the doubles point and took four singles matches in straight sets to the defeat the 61st-ranked University of South Alabama men’s tennis team 6-1 Saturday at the Blackburn Tennis Center.

The Jaguars fell to 2-5 in the spring season, while the Colonials improved to 4-3 overall.

GWU’s duo of Ulrik Thomsen and Alexander van Gils defeated freshmen Juan Troglia (Mendoza, Argentina) and Gerhard Gruindelingh (Pretoria, South Africa) 8-3 at No. 1. Sophomore Daniel Leitner (Neiderfischbach, Germany) and junior Shayann Vaezzadeh (Bavent, France) outlasted Nikita Fomin and Danil Zelenkov 8-6 on the No. 2 court.

Francisco Dias and Leonardo Lapentti secured the doubles point for the Colonials with a 9-7 win over senior Alex Bernard (Soisy Sur Seine, France) and sophomore Blake Gregor (Griffith, New South Wales, Australia) in the No. 3 flight.

“Losing the doubles point hurt us,” said USA head coach Nick Brochu. “We were winning at No. 2 and No. 3, but the point slipped away from us.”

In singles action, Thomsen topped Vaezzadeh 6-0, 6-2 at No. 6 and Hall fell 6-2, 6-2 to Zelenkov on the No. 3 court.

Bernard claimed the only point for South Alabama with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 win over Fomin at the No. 2 spot. Dias secured the match for GWU with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Leitner at the No. 1 flight.

“George Washington came out on fire in singles and we got down a break or two quickly on four courts,” said Brochu. “Being down 1-0 and losing many first sets caused some guys to lose focus. We fought back, but George Washington was very solid on big points.”

Troglia fell 6-4, 6-4 to Lapentti at No. 5, followed by van Gil’s 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Gruindelingh on the No. 4 court.

“We are young and still need match experience,” said Brochu. “We are slowly playing better, but we need to work harder. We need to rest and refocus for tomorrow’s match against Georgia State. They are a talented team who will put a lot of pressure on us. It will be a good match.”

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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