NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After having their match postponed, the FGCU men's tennis team began Atlantic Sun play with a 4-3 win over Lipscomb Friday afternoon. The Eagles (11-5, 1-0) have now won 13-straight A-Sun matches to begin their title defense. Lipscomb is now 6-7 on the year and 0-1 in A-Sun play.

"We did a great job of getting on top of this match and it started with doubles," said head coach CJ Weber. "We've been working hard on our doubles the past couple of weeks and I think that paid off. Lipscomb did a great job of fighting back on a couple courts which tightened the match. But I was really happy that Edu, Oli and Javi took care of business throughout their entire matches."

The Eagles wasted little time securing their first point of the conference season. With wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, FGCU claimed an early 1-0 lead in the A-Sun opener against Lipscomb. Featuring a new top pairing at No. 1, Andres Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Texas Christian University) and Ezequiel Cerrini (Sunny Isles Beach, Fla./Homeschool) defeated Rob Mitchell and Alejandro Manzanares 6-3. Just a few moments later, Oliver Landert (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Florida) and Eduardo Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Barry University) took down John Tougher and Kauai Linardi 6-4 to clinch the point.

"It feels good to start the conference season with a win," Eduardo Alfonzo said. "Oliver and I played a solid doubles match and I was able to transfer that energy into singles. I felt very confident in the important points of my match and that helps me keep control of the match and play the way I wanted." 

Ricky Ventura (Barcelona, Spain/University of Barcelona) dropped the first singles decision of the afternoon to Mitchell, 6-2, 6-1 but was quickly picked up by Eduardo Alfonzo. The senior Alfonzo won his match at No. 4 6-0, 6-3 over Daniel Cardenas to put FGCU in front 2-1.

Javier Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) kept the momentum going forward for FGCU, claiming a 6-3, 6-3 win over Linardo with Landert serving for the win. The sophomore secured the win for FGCU, defeating Thais Minet at No. 5 6-4, 6-4 for his fourth straight win.

"As a team we came out really strong and got the doubles point which turned out to be the difference," Landert said. "I'm really glad we could get the win today in our first conference match. We fought hard and that's what it's all about. I feel like everything is starting to come together for us as a team."

With the two remaining matches going into third sets, Cerrini was attempting to bounce back from a 6-2 loss in the second set after winning the first 6-1. The freshman dropped the final set 6-3 to Philippe Courteau however, with Andres Alfonzo still on the courts. The younger Alfonzo fell 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to Manzanares to end the day.

NEXT UP
The Eagles face a quick turn around, meeting with Kennesaw State Saturday at 4 p.m. in Kennesaw, Ga.

FULL RESULTS
DOUBLES
1) A. Alfonzo/Cerrini (FGCU) def. Mitchell/Manzanares (LU) 6-3
2) Vaz/Ventura (FGCU) vs. Corteau/Minet (LU) DNF
3) Landert/E. Alfonzo (FGCU) def. Tougher/Linardi (LU) 6-4
SINGLES
1) Mitchell (LU) def. Ventura (FGCU) 6-2, 6-1
2) Manzanares (LU) def. A. Alfonzo (FGCU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
3) Corteau (LU) def. Cerrini (FGCU) 1-6, 6-2, 6-3
4) E. Alfonzo (FGCU) def. Cardenas (LU) 6-0, 6-3
5) Landert (FGCU) def. Minet (LU) 6-4, 6-4
6) Fernandez (FGCU) def. Linardi (LU) 6-3, 6-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (1, 3), Singles (1, 4, 6, 5, 3, 2)

FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis follow us on Twitter @FGCU_MTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of each day of competition.
 
CJ WEBER
FGCU is led by CJ Weber who has coached 16 A-Sun All-Conference selections since joining the Green and Blue in 2011. In his fifth year, Weber has compiled a 59-41 (.590) overall record and a 21-11 (.656) record in A-Sun play. In 2014-15, Weber guided the Eagles to their first-ever Atlantic Sun Championship and first-ever Atlantic Sun Regular Season title after a program-best 17 wins. In his third season, Weber led Jordi Vives to a No. 35 national ranking, a nation-leading 14-match unbeaten streak and the round of 32 in the 2014 NCAA Tournament - the program's first appearance.
 
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.