FORT MYERS, Fla. – It was a race to the finish between two Eagles Sunday afternoon, one
Stavros Hadjivarnava claimed as he was the clinching point in FGCU's 4-1 win over Bucknell at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
Hadjivarnava led Bucknell's Oscar Bain 5-4 in the second set, after taking the first set, 7-6 (8-6), at No. 3 singles. Meanwhile, at No. 4 singles,
Gustav Hasslegren was forced into a tiebreaker in the second set after winning the first set, 6-3. Both matches were vying for the clinching point as the Eagles (8-9) held a 3-1 lead after wins in doubles and at Nos. 2 and 6 singles over Bucknell (7-8).
After Hasslegren took the 1-0 lead in the second set tiebreaker, Hadjivarnava prevailed in a long rally at deuce and match point, sealing the win for FGCU and claiming the 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 win. It marked the second win against a 2025 conference champion and NCAA Tournament team for the Eagles over their past four matches.
"That was a huge win for the guys, beating the defending Patriot League champions," FGCU head coach
Josh Molino said after the win. "The Bison are very well coached and prepared, and competed like a tournament team should. Credit to the Eagles, they handled an emotional day well. We started slow but heated up as the match went on. Winning the doubles point was big for us, and gave us some relief through the middle.
Stefan Correa and
Pablo Paternostro went to work, and the captain (
Stavros Hadjivarnava) came up clutch after the lightning delay. Time for us to rest before we get back to work on Tuesday."
Earlier, Florida Gulf Coast secured the doubles point with victories at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles.
Mika Bunjes and Hasslegren dominated at No. 2 doubles with a 6-3 win over Nelson Alapi and Will Robinson. Meanwhile, at No. 3 doubles,
Stavros Hadjivarnava and
Tanner Povey posted a 6-3 victory against Oscar Bain and Adam Stavrakas. The match at No. 1 doubles between Brendan McDonald and Amar Tahirovic from the Bison and
Stefan Correa and
Pablo Paternostro remained unfinished at 5-5.
In singles, Bucknell's Amar Tahirovic captured a point at No. 1 singles, defeating
Tanner Povey, 6-2, 6-0, as Tahirovic registered his 23
rd singles win of the season and 112th of his career, and tied the Bucknell record for career combined singles/doubles wins (192).
The Green & Blue responded with a win at No. 6 singles as
Stefan Correa secured a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Nelson Alapi as Correa registered his 11
th win of the season. At No. 2 singles,
Pablo Paternostro defeated a 15-win Liam Kilmer in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, to join Povey and Correa among Eagles with double-digit wins this season.
The intense battle continued as Hadjivarnava edged Bain at No. 3 singles. The matches at No. 4 and No. 5 singles between the Eagles'
Mika Bunjes and
Gustav Hasslegren against the Bison's Brendan McDonald and Will Robinson, respectively, were left unfinished, with both still in progress during decisive moments.
Sunday's contest marked the third meeting between the two programs, with FGCU claiming wins in all three matches.
FGCU remains at home on Tuesday when another ranked team, No. 68 East Tennessee State, visits Fort Myers. First serve at the FGCU Tennis Complex is set for 10 a.m.
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