TAMPA, Fla. – The FGCU men's tennis team (0-1) produced a strong result in doubles but USF (1-0) would storm back in singles en route to the 5-2 final Saturday afternoon.

"I felt USF played the better match today," said head coach CJ Weber. "We came out and did our business in doubles, but USF sustained the level in singles and beat us out in the long run. It was a good match for us to learn more about what we need to focus on this year."

Feliksas Sakalauskas (Palanga, Lithuania/Virginia Tech) and Juan Montes (Pereira, Colombia/TCU) gave FGCU its first doubles win of the season on court No. 3 with a 6-4 victory. Despite USF responding with a win on court No. 2, the Green and Blue received the clinching point from Marcelo Tebet (Londrina, Brazil/Colegio Anglo Americano) and Ezequiel Cerrini (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Homeschool) as they registered a 6-4 win.

Sakalauskas carried the doubles win momentum onto court No. 4 as the Lithuanian produced a 7-5, 6-0 triumph. The tide then began to turn into the home side's favor as the Bulls knotted up the match 2-2 with a win on court No. 5. From there, USF snagged the remaining three courts for the 5-2 final. Felipe Escobar's (Pereira, Colombia/TCU) match was the only one to go into three sets as the senior dropped a hard-fought 6-1, 6-7, 4-6 decision.

UP NEXT
FGCU will hit the road and travel to Phoenix, Ariz., from Jan. 25-26 for matches against Grand Canyon (1-0) and Sacramento State (0-1).

Singles Competition
1. No. 43 Alberto Barroso-Campos (USF) def. Juan Montes (FGCU) 6-0, 6-3
2. Chase Ferguson (USF) def. Felipe Escobar (FGCU) 1-6, 7-6 (11-9), 6-4
3. Pierre Luquet (USF) def. Ezequiel Cerrini (FGCU) 7-5, 6-3
4. Feliksas Sakalauskas (FGCU) def. Jakub Wojcik (USF) 7-5, 6-0
5. Ivan Yatsuk (USF) def. Marcelo Tebet (FGCU) 7-5, 6-3
6. Sergio Montesa (USF) def. Javier Fernandez (FGCU) 7-5, 6-2
 
Doubles Competition
1. Alberto  Barroso-Camp/Jakub Wojcik (USF) def. Felipe Escobar/Mateo Ruiz (FGCU) 6-4
2. Marcelo Tebet/ Ezequiel Cerinni (FGCU) def. Chase Ferguson/Pierre Luquet (USF) 6-4
3. Feliksas Sakalauskas/Juan Montes (FGCU) def. Sean Burnette/Ivan Yatsuk (USF) 6-4

FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis follow us on Twitter & Instagram @FGCU_MTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of the competition.

CJ WEBER
FGCU is led by CJ Weber who has coached 29 ASUN All-Conference selections since joining the Green and Blue in 2011. In his seventh year, Weber has compiled an 83-69 (.549) overall record and a 32-17 (.694) record in ASUN play. In 2014-15, Weber guided the Eagles to their first-ever ASUN Championship and first-ever ASUN 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. FGCU again won the ASUN Championship in 2017, advancing to its second NCAA Tournament.