FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s tennis team earned a comeback victory Friday, defeating Queens University 5-2 at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The Eagles claimed their first Atlantic Sun Conference win of the season. It was just the third all-time matchup between the two programs, with the Eagles now leading the […]
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s tennis team earned a comeback victory Friday, defeating Queens University 5-2 at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The Eagles claimed their first Atlantic Sun Conference win of the season. It was just the third all-time matchup between the two programs, with the Eagles now leading the series 2-1.The All-ASUN performer from a year ago never trailed in the tiebreak, claiming it 6-3 and the set 7-6 to give the Green and Blue an insurmountable advantage. Ninad Raut made it a quintet of singles victories for the Eagles at court five, putting an exclamation point on FGCU’s first ASUN win of the year.The Royals took the early advantage by taking the doubles point. FGCU’s Guglielmo Stefanacci and Pablo Paternostro gave the Eagles an initial edge at court two, winning their contest 6-3 in 30 minutes. Queens quickly followed with victories at court one and court three to put FGCU on the back foot, needing to win at least four of six in singles play to take the match.Florida Gulf Coast (7-12, 1-1 ASUN) continues conference play Sunday against Eastern Kentucky at 3 p.m., the last of a seven match homestand at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The contests at courts three and four finished almost simultaneously. Stefanacci won his first set 6-4, then dominated the second 6-1 to give FGCU the lead at court three. Paternostro sailed to a 6-2 win in the first set and battled for a 7-5 triumph in the second to extend FGCU’s advantage to 3-1 on court four.The Eagles put themselves in position to come from behind by winning the first set on five of the six courts to start singles play. FGCU got on the board at court six when Christopher Smith swept his match 6-2, 6-3. Queens scratched one back on court two to drop FGCU’s lead to 3-2, but the Eagles then clinched at court one. Hugo Magnusson won his opening set 6-3 but fell behind 4-2 in the second. The sophomore clawed back into a 4-4 tie; a process he repeated twice more to force a tiebreak.
