FORT MYERS, Fla. – In its first showing of the 2020-21 season, the FGCU men's tennis team (0-1) fell by a score of 5-2 to FAU (1-1) on Saturday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex. Redshirt-freshman Magnus Johnson (Naples, Fla./Homeschool/UCF) picked up a singles win in his FGCU debut, while redshirt-junior Juan Montes (Pereira, Colombia/Colegio Lujan) accounted for the team's other point.

Due to health reasons, head coach CJ Weber was not in attendance for Saturday's match. Former Eagle tennis player and current assistant coach Marcelo Tebet led the Eagles in Weber's absence. 

"It is very nice to see the team competing again," Tebet said. "I had the pleasure of playing with them for a few years and now I am fortunate enough to be coaching them. Overall, today was a tough day for us. We didn't play the way that we are capable of and I feel that we could have had more consistent energy. I am looking forward to getting together with CJ to work on these things because I think we have a lot to look forward to this season. I also want to make sure that I take this time to thank our FGCU Facilities & Operations team, who have helped set us up to play tennis safely, despite the challenges of COVID-19. I can't wait to see what's next for this team."  

The Owls kicked off the night by securing the doubles point, thanks to wins on the first and second courts. The match on court three, which featured redshirt-sophomore Carter Bradford (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Saddlebrook Preparatory School/George Mason) and redshirt-freshman Guglielmo Stefanacci (Prato, Italy/International School of Florence) went unfinished with the Eagles trailing 5-3. This marks the second year that Bradford and Stefanacci have played together in doubles, as the pair went 4-3 during the shortened 2019-20 season.

In response to the Owls taking an early 1-0 advantage, Montes opened up singles play with a straight-set triumph at the No. 2 spot. Though his effort knotted the match up at 1-1, FAU responded with back-to-back wins on courts four and six to regain its edge at 3-1.

Though forced into three sets by Stefanacci, FAU's Gerard Escandell profited off of the visiting team's momentum and clinched the match with a win on the fifth court. Stefanacci opened up the action with a 6-1 win in the first set, before ultimately falling to Escandell.

The remaining two courts of singles play featured some of the closest battles of the night. Redshirt-senior Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School) narrowly dropped his match to his opponent, falling 6-7, 5-7. Despite the straight-set result, Ramirez was barely edged out, thus leaving the remaining point to be determined by court No. 1.

Johnson opened up the action on the top court with a 6-3 win in the first set over #122 Maxime Lapraille. Lapraille rallied in the second frame, earning a tiebreaker win to even things up. Though the third set saw a lot of back-and-forth play, it was ultimately Johnson who came away with the win, thus sealing the match at FAU 5, FGCU 2.

The team will now enjoy a roughly two-week break before hosting Keiser on Friday, Feb. 5 at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The match against the Seahawks, who are currently ranked No. 7 in the NAIA rankings, is set for a 5 p.m. start.

For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_MTen and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU men's tennis or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.

Results
Singles Competition
1. JOHNSON, Magnus (FGCU) def. #122 Maxime Lapraille (FAU) 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 1-0 (10-7)
2. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Filip Krolo (FAU) 6-4, 6-1
3. Kevin Huempfner (FAU) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 7-6 (12-10), 7-5
4. A. Fernandez Horta (FAU) def. WILSON, Randy (FGCU) 6-4, 6-3
5. Gerard Escandell (FAU) def. STEFANACCI, Gugli (FGCU) 1-6, 6-2, 6-1
6. Finn Stodder (FAU) def. CONCA, Alessandro (FGCU) 6-4, 6-3
Order of finish: (2, 4, 6, 5, 3, 1)

Doubles Competition
1. Maxime Lapraille/Filip Krolo (FAU) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe/WILSON, Randy (FGCU) 6-4
2. Kevin Huempfner/A. Fernandez Horta (FAU) def. MONTES, Juan/JOHNSON, Magnus (FGCU) 6-2
3. BRADFORD, Carter/STEFANACCI, Gugli (FGCU) vs. Gerard Escandell/Finn Stodder (FAU) 3-5, unfinished
Order of finish: (2, 1)

CJ WEBER
FGCU is led by three-time ASUN Coach of the Year CJ Weber, who has coached 32 ASUN All-Conference selections since joining the Green and Blue in 2011. In his seventh year, Weber has compiled a 97-83 (.541) overall record and a 38-18 (.672) 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 a perfect ASUN regular season in both 2015 and 2016, finishing with conference titles as well as a Coach of the Year honor for Weber. FGCU again won the 2017 ASUN Championship and made its second NCAA appearance. The Eagles returned to the mountaintop by claiming the 2019 regular season and tournament championships. Weber earned his third ASUN Coach of the Year honor and led the Green and Blue to their third trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

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FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.43 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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