Golden Eagles have solid showing at Wake Forest to close out fall schedule
Tennessee Tech players opened strong with wins in every flight, and came home with 10 total victories at the Wake Forest Invitational to close out the fall portion of the schedule for coach Kenny Doyle's tennis team.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – All four of the Tennessee Tech players in singles action plus the lone Golden Eagle doubles tandem competing this weekend in the Wake Forest Invitational posted victories in the first round. They went on to claim five additional wins as the team came home with a combined 10-9 won-loss record in the final action of the fall schedule for coach Kenny Doyle's team.
Twice a Tech entry was bounced from championship contention by the eventual winner of the flight.
Eduardo Mena, playing in the top flight of the event, posted the best mark with three wins and one loss, claiming fifth place in the AI flight. Mena outlasted Duke's Vincent Lin, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to open play. He was downed by Raheel Mandi of Indiana, the eventual flight winner, 6-1, 6-3, but bounced back to win two matches. He defeated Navy's Austin Jones, 6-1, 6-4, then closed out with a 6-2, 6-3 straight set triumph over Kentucky's Kevin Lai.
Mena and Alberto Esteban paired up in the A2 doubles flight, splitting the matches they played before surrendering a walk-off to hit the road for the long drive home. They opened with an 8-3 win over the Dartmouth pair of Aman Agarwal and George Wall then dropped an 8-5 battle to the top-seeded duo of Adam Moundir and Michael Weindl of Old Dominion.
Guillermo Nicolas, Esteban and Carlos Tajes each went 2-2 in their singles flights.
Guillermo finished sixth in the B1 flight, opening with a tough 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory over Elliott Yee of Indiana, before Agarwal took the measure of a 6-0, 6-3 contest. Guillermo came back to defeat Dan McCall of Duke, 6-3, 6-4, before retiring in his match against Eduardo Landin of Georgia State, 6-2, 3-0 (ret.).
In the B2 singles flight, Esteban raced out to two victories, each going three sets before the Golden Eagle junior from Madrid was upended twice to claim fourth place. Esteban took a tough first set from Penn's Nicholai Westergaard, 7-5, but dropped the second, 2-6. He rebounded for a 6-4 win to claim the match. That pitted Esteban against Georgia State's Giles Hussey, and he had all he could handle. He dropped the first set, 6-7(5), but found a way to win the next two, 6-2 and 7-5.
Advancing to the semifinals, Esteban squared off against the brother of his last victim, this time meeting Austin Hussey from GSU, and the Panther earned a 6-4, 6-4 win. Playing for third place in the flight, Esteban was topped by Duke's Josh Levine, 7-5, 6-2.
Tech's entry in the D1 singles division, Carlos Tajes, split his match to finish sixth. He rolled to a straight set, 6-4, 6-3 win over Michael Ogden of North Carolina State, before taking on the eventual flight champion, Kyle Barr of Wofford. Barr earned a 6-4, 6-3 win, but Tajes put it behind him and snatched a 6-2, 7-5 win over Trey Gray of UNC Greensboro. In the battle for fifth, Tajes and Jack Riazzi of Davidson played one of the longest, most intense matches of the tournament. Riazzi won the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (5), before Tajes took the second set, 6-4. The final bout went into overtime before Riazzi emerged with a 12-10 victory.
A1 Singles Flight (Mena 3-1)
Eduardo Mena def. Vincent Lin (Duke), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2
Raheel Mandi (Indiana) def. Mena, 6-1, 6-3
Mena def. Austin Jones (Navy), 6-1, 6-4
Mena def. Kevin Lai (Kentucky), 6-2, 6-3
B1 Singles Flight (Nicolas 2-2)
Guillermo Nicolas def. Elliott Yee (Indiana), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1
Aman Agarwal (Dartmouth) def. Nicolas, 6-0, 6-3
Guillermo def. Dan McCall (Duke), 6-3, 6-4
Eduardo Landin (Georgia State) def. Nicolas, 6-2, 3-0 (ret.)
B2 Singles Flight (Esteban 2-2)
Alberto Esteban def. Nicholai Westergaarad (Penn), 7-5. 2-6, 6-4
Esteban def. Giles Hussey (Georgia State), 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-5
Austin Hussey (Georgia State) def. Esteban, 6-4, 6-4
Josh Levine (Duke) def. Esteban, 7-5, 6-2
D1 Singles Flight (Tajes 2-2)
Carlos Tajes def. Michael Ogden (North Carolina State), 6-4, 6-3
Kyle Barr (Wofford) def. Tajes, 6-4, 6-3
Tajes def. Trey Gray (UNCG), 6-2, 7-5
Jack Riazzi (Davidson) def. Tajes, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 12-10
A2 Doubles Flight (1-2)
Mena/Esteban def. Wall/Agarwal (Dartmouth), 8-3
#1 seed Moundir/Weindel (Old Dominion) def. Mena/Esteban, 8-5
Jones/Pecor (Navy) def. Esteban/Mena, walk-off
