KENNESAW, Ga. – After waiting out a three-hour rain delay, it took just more than three hours of action for the FGCU men's tennis team (12-5, 2-0 Atlantic Sun Conference) to earn a hard-fought 4-3 comeback victory at Kennesaw State (8-5, 0-1 A-Sun) Saturday night.
 
Trailing 3-2, the Eagles' 13-match A-Sun winning streak was on the line and its fate rested on the rackets of a pair of freshmen in Ezequiel Cerrini and Javier Fernandez on courts 3 and 6, respectively. Cerrini (Sunny Isles Beach, Fla./Homeschool) won his 3rd set in dominant fashion, 6-0, and shortly after Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) clinched it for the Green and Blue, 6-2, as he watched Sam Slade's effort sail long.
 
The victory was the 14th A-Sun triumph in a row for the Eagles, who opened defense of their conference title with a pair of 4-3 road victories in consecutive days in different states as the Green and Blue emerged victorious in cold and blustery conditions in a postponed match at Lipscomb Friday morning.
 
"Matches like today are the reason I am a college coach," stated FGCU head coach CJ Weber. "I'm so inspired by the group of young men that I coach. They are there for each other, and they are willing to respond to adversity. This is why we can have three newcomers win massive matches in dramatic fashion in such pressure moments. What's crazy is I think this team has so much more to improve, and I am looking forward to the rest of the conference season."
 
The night started inauspiciously for the Eagles as they lost the doubles point to the Owls after Andres Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Texas Christian University) and Cerrini fell to David Durham and Drew Wendel, 6-2, at the No. 1 position. Shortly after, despite fighting back from a couple points down, Lucas Vas (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Tulsa/Colegio Fleming) and Ricky Ventura (Barcelona, Spain/University of Barcelona) were defeated by Manuel Castellanos and Simon Pritchard, 6-4, at No. 2.
 
Turning their focus to singles action, the Eagles received their first point of the night from Andres Alfonzo as he raced to a straight-set victory at the No. 2 position, 6-3, 6-2, over Castellanos.
 
"I am very happy for the team," commented Alfonzo. "I knew this match was going to be a battle. We overcame a lot of adversity which means we are growing and getting better. I'm very happy that after having a tough match in doubles I was able to turn that into a great win in singles."
 
That singles win helped offset the defeat his brother, Eduardo Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Barry University), suffered just moments before on Court 4, 6-2, 6-2, which briefly gave the Owls a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
FGCU evened things up when sophomore transfer Oliver Landert (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Florida) gutted out a huge straight-set win, 6-0, 7-5. Landert trailed 5-1 in the 2nd set before he began to dictate play and won six-straight games in what turned out to a be a crucial point for the Eagles.
 
Ventura won his 1st set against Pritchard, 6-2, at the No. 1 position, but failed to finish him off as he dropped the final two sets, 6-3, 6-4.
 
That decision gave the Owls their 3-2 edge in the match as attention turned to Court 3. After taking the 1st set, 6-4, Cerrini looked poised to win it in straight sets as he was up 5-2 in the 2nd set, but ended up surrendering five-straight games to Durham, forcing the decisive 3rd set. But the freshmen didn't bow at all in the final set, dominating in all facets to knot the match and turn the sole focus to Fernandez on the farthest court from the spectators.
 
After taking set one fairly easily, 6-2, Fernandez dropped the 2nd set, 6-3. In the 3rd set, Fernandez was up 3-2 and broke Slade's serve to go up, 4-2. He then held serve in the 7th game before breaking Slade again on deuce point to ice the match and was promptly greeted by his teammates who stormed across the court Landert had erased his huge deficit on earlier to celebrate with the freshman.
 
"After losing the doubles point, the team rebounded with a lot of energy and that was a major key to win the match," surmised Fernandez. "In terms of my match, I played very disciplined and solid. Thanks to the support of my teammates and coach I was able to come through and win my match. It was the first time that a match has come down to my court, and it was an amazing feeling to get the win for FGCU."
 
FGCU now turns its focus to league newcomer NJIT and USC Upstate as the Eagles welcome the Highlanders to the FGCU Tennis Complex next Thursday, Mar. 31, at 2 p.m., and the Spartans on Saturday, Apr. 2, at 6 p.m.
 
FULL RESULTS
DOUBLES
1) Durham/Wendel (KSU) def. A. Alfonzo/Cerrini (FGCU) 6-2
2) Castellanos/Pritchard (KSU) def. Vaz/Ventura (FGCU) 6-4
3) Landert/E. Alfonzo (FGCU) vs. Slade/Wilton (KSU) DNF
 
SINGLES
1) Pritchard (KSU) def. Ventura (FGCU) 6-2, 3-6, 4-6
2) A. Alfonzo (FGCU) def. Castellanos (KSU) 6-3, 6-2
3) Cerrini (FGCU) def. Durham (KSU) 6-4, 5-7, 6-0
4) De Torres Curth (KSU) def. E. Alfonzo (FGCU) 2-6, 2-6
5) Landert (FGCU) def. Valencia (KSU) 6-0, 7-5
6) Fernandez (FGCU) def. Slade (KSU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
Order of Finish: Doubles (1, 2), Singles (4, 2, 5, 1, 3, 6)
 
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.