CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team picked up its first victory of the spring season Friday, earning a 4-3 victory over Duquesne in the home opener.
Cleveland State vs. Duquesne PDF Box Score
From The Sidelines
"This was a fun and exciting 4-3 collegiate tennis match today, and we are all glad to get the first win of the season, and to do it at home was even better. We played with great emotion and energy in doubles today, and picking up that crucial point really carried us through the match. We were able to get out to a quick 3-0 lead after Matt and Nico picked up a pair of straight set wins, but we were stuck at three points for a while. We were finally able to muster up the final point when Ben played with ice water in his veins to serve it out when he was up 5-4 in the third set. Now we will turn our attention on Sunday's matches and look to keep the MMTP winstreak alive." – Head Coach Brian Etzkin
Match Notes
· 2018 Record: 1-2
· Friday's match marked the home opener for the Vikings, who are playing in the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion for the third season.
· Cleveland State improved to 11-2 against Duquesne under head coach Brian Etzkin, while the Vikings have now won six straight matches against the Dukes.
· Benjamin Slade now has 43 career singles wins, just seven wins shy of becoming the 13th Viking all-time to eclipse the 50-win milestone.
The Points
· Cleveland State picked up its first doubles point of the year, capturing a 6-2 victory from Nico Mostardi and Matthew Terry at the No. 2 spot and a 6-4 win from Luke Phillips and William Malm at No. 3 doubles.
· Matthew Terry notched his first dual match singles win at the No. 2 spot, cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Duquesne's Chris Corrao. Terry now has a 13-5 singles record on the year.
· Nico Mostardi tallied his second straight win at the top of the singles lineup, posting a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Adam Blasinsky. Mostardi, who has a 2-0 singles record on the spring season, owns a team-best 14-4 overall record this season.
· Benjamin Slade picked up Cleveland State's clinching singles point against Duquesne, earning a three-set victory over Jared Isaacs (7-6, 3-6, 6-4). For the season, Slade is 7-7 in singles play, including a 1-1 mark during the spring slate.
Up Next
· Cleveland State will continue its homestand against Depaul (10:00 a.m.) and Oberlin (6:00 p.m.) on Sunday, January 28.
The Results
Doubles
1. Blasinsky/Kane (DUQ) def. Slade/Radosevic (CSU), 6-3
2. Mostardi/Terry (CSU) def. Isaacs/Corrao (DUQ), 6-2
3. Phillips/Malm (CSU) def. Akins/Ong (DUQ), 6-4
Singles
1. Nico Mostardi (CSU) def. Adam Blasinsky (DUQ), 6-4, 6-1
2. Matthew Terry (CSU) def. Chris Corrao (DUQ), 6-3, 6-2
3. Drew Akins (DUQ) def. Gabriel Evtimov (CSU), 6-2, 7-6 (2)
4. Time Kane (DUQ) def. Luke Phillips (CSU), 6-2, 6-4
5. Dominic Lea (DUQ) def. Mirko Radosevic (CSU), 6-1, 6-3
6. Benjamin Slade (CSU) def. Jared Isaacs (DUQ), 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4
