Complete Results
MOBILE, Ala. - University of South Alabama men’s tennis team senior Alex Bernard (Soisy Sur Seine, France) accounted for two points, including a straight-sets win at No. 1 to clinch the match in the Jaguars’ 7-0 victory over New Orleans Wednesday at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.
USA improved to 4-5 overall, while UNO fell to 4-3 in their spring season.
“One of our goals was to really come out with high energy, a lot of team chemistry and good communication,” said USA head coach Nick Brochu. “We had a really good match today.”
Bernard teamed up up with junior Shayann Vaezzadeh (Bavent, France) to secure the doubles point with an 8-4 win over Rui Silva and David Malmgren at the No. 3 spot. Bernard later won 6-3, 7-5 over Ricardo Campos.
“This was the first time I played No. 1 at home,” said Bernard. “The guy wasn’t easy to play. He was a really talented player and he could surprise you with an insane shot at anytime. I had to really stay focused. It helped to see that my teammates had already gotten us on the board quickly. That helped me relax and get the win for my team.”
“I think Alex did great today,” said Brochu. “Not only did he clinch, but he stepped up and played No. 1 and showed that he can rise up to the challenge. He handled a really tough match against a really tough player. He took care of business like a senior.”
Sophomore Daniel Leitner (Neiderfischbach, Germany) and freshman Gerhard Gruindelingh (Pretoria, South Africa) picked up the first win of the day with their 8-2 victory over Hossam Meligy and Campos at No. 1 doubles.
“We played very aggressive doubles,” said Brochu. “We got breaks on all three courts really early in the match. We just set the tone for the rest of doubles and that was key. We ran away with the doubles point quickly and we talked about keeping the momentum into singles.”
In singles action, 60th-ranked Leitner downed Silva 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 1 flight, followed by freshman Juan Troglia’s (Mendoza, Argentina) 6-4, 6-4 win over Meligy at No. 4, putting the Jaguars up 3-0.
“Our top guys did a really good job of putting us up really early,” said Brochu. “We made sure to stay aggressive until the match was over. We just played every single point like we were trailing.”
Gruindelingh outlasted Abdelrahman Zaki 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) on the No. 3 court. Senior Cody Hall (Albuquerque, N.M.) added another point with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Vinay Kamineni at the No. 5 spot. Sophomore Blake Gregor (Griffith, New South Wales, Australia) rounded out the day when he defeated Malmgren 6-2, 6-0.
“We didn’t just play safe tennis,” said Brochu. “We played really aggressive and kept the pressure on them. It’s great for us to get a 7-0 win before a big tournament this weekend.”
South Alabama returns to action Friday when they travel to Corpus Christi, Texas for the H-E-B Tournament of Champions.
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).
—USA—
