Alabama State Holds Back Alcorn, 4-0

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alcorn Men's Tennis team played well Sunday afternoon in a hard-fought 4-0 defeat to Alabama State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opener for both programs at Olean Black Underwood Tennis Center.
 
Alabama State (3-4, 1-0 SWAC) opened doubles play with a 6-2 win at No. 3 with the tandem of Eloi Roux and Milan Ristov defeating Alcorn's pair of Jorge Prats Navarrete and Fabian Juarez. The point was claimed with an exciting match at the No. 2 position as the Hornets used a 7-6(4) victory by Matteo Lataste and Martin Catrice over the Braves team of Sebastian Griffiths and Tomas Grime.
 
In singles play, the top three positions went unfinished with two of the three in a third set, and one heading to a third set but not yet started.
 
The Hornets moved ahead 2-0 with Vid Maric's 6-2, 6-0 win over Alcorn's Juarez at No. 5 singles.
 
Alcorn (3-8, 0-1 SWAC) seemed destined for a point at the top flight with Griffiths leading 4-1 in the third set against Ristov. The Braves number one claimed a 6-3 win in the opening set, before falling 6-2 in the second.
 
At No. 4 singles, Roux pushed past Alcorn's Grime on scores of 6-2, 6-2. And it was a 6-2, 7-5 decision on court six for Loris Gueli against Navarrete to decide the match.
 
"It's never easy dropping your first conference match, but we have to take the lessons from today and get better," stated Alcorn interim head coach Kersten Vanem-Walker. "We'll go back to work. It's progress, and I saw a lot of that today."
 
Alcorn is back in action Tuesday, Feb. 24, as the Braves travel to Southern Miss at 2 p.m.
 
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COMPLETE RESULTS
Singles Competition
1. Milan Ristov (ASU) vs. Sebastian Griffiths (ALC) 3-6, 6-2, 1-4, unfinished
2. Flor De Sitter (ASU) vs. Matthew Holl (ALC) 6-4, 5-7, unfinished
3. Martin Catrice (ASU) vs. Vicent Llobell Buigues (ALC) 4-6, 6-2, 4-1, unfinished
4. Eloi Roux (ASU) def. Tomas Grime (ALC) 6-2, 6-2
5. Vid Maric (ASU) def. Fabian Juarez (ALC) 6-2, 6-0
6. Loris Gueli (ASU) def. Jorge Prats Navarrete (ALC) 6-2, 7-5
 
Doubles Competition
1. Vid Maric/Gordan F. Mileusnic (ASU) vs. Matthew Holl/Vicent Llobell Buigues (ALC) 6-6 (5-3), unfinished
2. Matteo Lataste/Martin Catrice (ASU) def. Sebastian Griffiths/Tomas Grime (ALC) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Eloi Roux/Milan Ristov (ASU) def. Jorge Prats Navarrete/Fabian Juarez (ALC) 6-2