FORT MYERS, Fla. – It was a frustrating night for the FGCU men's tennis team as the Eagles dropped a 4-0 decision to East Tennessee State Friday. The Eagles (4-5) and Buccaneers (4-6) split the first two doubles matches before the visitors claimed the third in a tiebreak, setting the tone for a tough singles portion.

"ETSU played a great match today, especially in singles," said head coach CJ Weber. "I didn't feel we were ready to respond after we lost a close doubles point. We just have to keep getting better, and turn our focus to South Alabama on Tuesday."

Oliver Landert (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Florida) and Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School) evened up the doubles portion of the match with a 6-4 victory at No. 1 after Javier Fernandez (   Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) and Mateo Ruiz (Bucaramanga, Colombia/Oklahoma State) were bested 6-2. As FGCU's top-pairing claimed the win, the No. 2 duo of Andres Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Texas Christian University) and Ezequiel Cerrini (Sunny Isles Beach, Fla./Homeschool) led 5-4. It was short-lived however, as David Biosca and Juan Lugo won three of the final four games to claim the match and the doubles point.

Losses at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 from Landert, Cerrini, and Ruiz respectively ended the match with the visitors leading 4-0. Landert fell to Robert Herrera 6-0, 6-1 at No. 2 while Cerrini dropped his match at No. 3 to Diego Nunez 6-2, 6-2. Meanwhile, Ruiz lost 6-4, 6-2 to Lugo.

As the match transitioned to doubles, Fernandez was the lone Eagle to claim a first-set victory, claiming it 6-3 over David Gonzalez. The sophomore would not finish his match however, tied 3-3 in the second set.

Ramirez appeared at No. 1 for the first time, dropping the first set 2-6 before leading 3-2 in the second as the match concluded. Sam Chaffin (Tampa, Fla./Wharton HS) was also left on the courts, dropping his first set 2-6 but trailed only 2-3 in the second.

UP NEXT
The Eagles remain at home with three matches next week, beginning with a Tuesday contest against South Alabama at 6 p.m.

FULL RESULTS
DOUBLES
1) Landert/Ramirez (FGCU) def. Nunez/Herrera (ETSU) 6-4
2) Biosca/Lugo (ETSU) def. Cerrini/Alfonzo (FGCU) 7-6
3)  Albin/Gonzalez (ETSU) def. Fernandez/Ruiz (FGCU) 6-2
SINGLES
1) Ramirez (FGCU) vs. Biosca (ETSU) 4-6, 3-2, DNF
2) Herrera (ETSU) def. Landert (FGCU) 6-0, 6-1
3) Nunez (ETSU) def. Cerrini (FGCU) 6-2, 6-2
4) Lugo (ETSU) def. Ruiz (FGCU) 6-4, 6-2
5) Fernandez (FGCU) vs. Gonzalez (ETSU) 6-3, 3-3, DNF
6) Chaffin (FGCU) vs. Albin (ETSU) 2-6, 2-3, DNF
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 1, 2), Singles (2, 3, 4)
 
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 67-49 (.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.