FORT MYERS, Fla. – A program-best 15-consecutive home-match winning streak came to an end Saturday as the FGCU men's tennis team lost 4-0 to FAU. The Eagles (2-2), playing  lost a heart-breaking doubles point and led late in the first set on four singles courts only for the Owls (6-1) to prevail, winning three singles matches to clinch the match.

"FAU has a really good team and they came out really motivated to beat us," said head coach CJ Weber. "They played a great match and deserved the win. We have a few crucial things that we need to get better at if we want to win these tough battles. We'll get there."

In a hotly contested doubles match decided by a tiebreaker on Court 1, the Eagles and Owls set were at a deadlock in all three matches. Trailing 3-0 on Court 3, Javier Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) and Pedro Carle (Daireuax, Argentina/Instituto Vocacional Argentino/College of the Desert) attempted to repeat yesterday's feat by coming back from the same score. After breaking serve and holding to make it 3-2, the FAU pairing of Arthur Stefani and Stefan Burnett won the next three games to seal the first doubles match.

On Court Two, Ezequiel Cerrini (Sunny Isles Beach, Fla./Homeschool) and Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School) led early only for Anthony Schohn and Felipe Frias to come back to even the match at four games apiece and again at 5-5. The Eagle duo won the next two games to even the doubles portion with a 7-5 victory while Oliver Landert (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Florida) and Mateo Ruiz (Bucaramanga, Colombia/Oklahoma State) mounted a nearly incredible comeback.

Trailing 4-1, Landert and Ruiz won four of the next five games to make it 5-4 in favor of the Owls. The top-pairing won the next game and later forced a tiebreaker in the first set that began just as Cerrini and Ruiz won their match. Trailing 3-1 in the tiebreaker, they attempted another comeback that resulted in the scoreline reaching 5-4. That was as close as it would get however, as Andrei Morin-Kougoucheff and Remi Chancerel secured the doubled point with a 7-5 win in the tiebreaker.

Singles play featured a strong start for the Green and Blue, with leads on four of the six courts. Landert took a first from Morin-Kougoucheff, Ruiz won his first set 6-2 over Stefani and Ramirez finished off his first set with a 7-6 victory but the Owls used their momentum to secure the first set at No. 2.

Carle was the first to fall, dropping a 6-1, 6-0 decision to Ignacio Jimenez and Fernandez followed with a tough 6-4, 6-4 loss to Schohn. Cerrini, who led 5-4 in his first set, suffered a tough 7-5 loss and followed with a heartbreaking 6-0 loss in the second set as FAU secured the match.

Landert led the second set 3-0, Ramirez led his second set 1-0 and Ruiz trailed 5-2 as the match ended.

UP NEXT
The Eagles will have a week off to recover and to prepare before taking to the courts again. The Green and Blue remain at home to welcome Charlotte Feb. 17 to the FGCU Tennis Complex.  

FULL RESULTS
Doubles
1) Morin-Kougoucheff/Chancerel (FAU) def. Landert/Ruiz (FGCU) 7-6 (7-5)
2) Cerrini/Ramirez (FGCU) def. Schohn/Frias (FAU) 7-5
3) Stefani/Burnett (FAU) def. Fernandez/Carle (FGCU) 6-2
Singles
1) Landert (FGCU) vs. Morin-Fougoucheff (FAU) 7-5, 3-0 - unfinished
2) Chancerel (FAU) def. Cerrini (FGCU) 7-5, 6-0
3) Schohn (FAU) def. Fernandez (FGCU) 6-4, 6-4
4) Ramirez (FGCU) vs. Frias (FAU) 7-6, 1-0 - unfinished
5) Ruiz (FGCU) vs. Stefani (FAU) 6-2, 2-5 - unfinished
6) Jimenez (FAU) def. Carle (FGCU) 6-1, 6-0
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 2, 1), Singles (6, 3, 2)

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 66-46 (.600) 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.