FORT MYERS, Fla. – Playing in front of their home fans for the first time in a dual match the FGCU men's tennis team dominated Bethune-Cookman Friday night for FGCU's 15th-consecutive home win. The Eagles (2-1) claimed a 7-0 win over the Wildcats (0-2) for the first time in the series.

"Today was a good, disciplined day for the whole team," said head coach CJ Weber. "We avoided distractions and had a good day because of it. I'm especially happy for Felipe; he finally got to play in his first college match and he represented himself amazingly. He played well on both the singles and doubles court. I think our fans will enjoy his tennis for the next four years."

The Eagles started the match strong, winning a quick 6-1 victory on Court 2. The No. 2 pairing of Ezequiel Cerrini (Sunny Isles Beach, Fla./Homeschool) and Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School) defeated Jose Plazas and Juan Ruiz to put FGCU in a commanding position during doubles play. The win was the first career victory for Ramirez, who was declared eligible on Monday.

While Oliver Landert (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Florida) and Mateo Ruiz (Bucaramanga, Colombia/Oklahoma State) battled Greg Almeida and Pablo Lopez on Court 1, Javier Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) and Pedro Carle (Daireuax, Argentina/Instituto Vocacional Argentino/College of the Desert) fell behind 3-0 to Alvaro Barrera and David Ocampa. Landert and Ruiz were level at 2-2 before winning three-straight games to take a dominant 5-2 advantage. On Court 3, Fernandez and Carle fell behind 3-0 only to come back to even the match and ultimately win six of the final seven games to claim the 6-4 win.

The top-pairing conceded two additional games before winning 6-4 as the match was allowed to play out. 

An hour into singles play, the Eagles had wrapped up their 15th-straight win at home. First off the courts was Fernandez, playing at No. 3. The sophomore conceded just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Plazas. Ruiz, playing his cousin Juan, claimed the first set 6-0 before winning his second 6-2 to put FGCU in front 3-0 overall.

It was Cerrini who clinched the victory for FGCU, defeating Ocampa 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 singles. On Court 1, Landert had pulled away late in the first set to beat Almeida 6-2 – winning four straight games – and prevented any chance of a comeback with a 6-3 victory in the second.

Ramirez earned his first singles win as an Eagle, defeating Barrera 6-3, 6-2 while Carle ended the evening with a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

UP NEXT
The Eagles welcome FAU to the FGCU Tennis Complex Saturday for a 6 p.m. contest.

FULL RESULTS
Doubles
1) Landert/Ruiz (FGCU) def. Almeida/Lopez (B-CU) 6-4
2) Cerrini/Ramirez (FGCU) def. Plazas/Ruiz (B-CU) 6-1
3) Fernandez/Carle (FGCU) def. Barrera/Ocampa (B-CU) 6-4
Singles
1) Landert (FGCU) def. Almeida (B-CU) 6-2, 6-3
2) Cerrini (FGCU) def. Ocampa (B-CU) 6-1, 6-2
3) Fernandez (FGCU) def. Plazas (B-CU) 6-1, 6-0
3) Ramirez (FGCU) def. Barrera (B-CU) 6-3, 6-2
5) Ruiz (FGCU) def. Ruiz (B-CU) 6-0, 6-2
6) Carle (FGCU) def. Lopez (B-CU) 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1), Singles (3, 5, 2, 1, 4, 6)

CJ WEBER
FGCU is led by CJ Weber who has coached 23 ASUN All-Conference selections since joining the Green and Blue in 2011. In his fifth year, Weber has compiled a 66-43 (.605) overall record and a 26-11 (.694) record in ASUN 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. The Eagles completed consecutive perfect ASUN seasons in 2016 and back-to-back conference titles as well as a second-straight Coach of the Year honor for Weber.
 
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.
 
#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.