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Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb men's tennis team's
upset bid versus Coastal Carolina came up just short as the Chanticleers
prevailed by a 5-2 margin Sunday afternoon.
Gardner-Webb (6-15, 0-7) got a doubles win at No. 2, as
Matthew Parker (Marietta, Ga.) and Ernest Alberch (Torello, Spain) outlasted
Sam Barr/John Karle for a 9-8 win. However Coastal Carolina (13-5, 5-2) would
take the doubles point with wins at No.'s 1 and 2, earning a 1-0 advantage over
the Runnin' Bulldogs early.
GWU came out firing in singles, winning the first set at
five of the six singles positions to put themselves in a great position to
mount a comeback.
Freshman Joao Poli (Londrina, Brazil) got the Runnin'
Bulldogs on the board, taking a 6-2, 6-1 decision over Barr at No. 6 to even
the match score at 1-1.
Junior Adam Knutsson-Sundblad (Gothenburg, Sweden) kept
GWU's rally going with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win at No. 1 singles. The win over
Coastal's Leo Christofides put Gardner-Webb on top 2-1.
The Chanticleers would respond, winning at the four
remaining singles positions to pull away.
At No. 3, sophomore Korhan Ates (Istanbul, Turkey) won his
first set to earn the advantage over Garik Yedigarian, but dropped the final
two to lose by a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 margin.
Junior Roman Piftor (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) also fought out
to a one set lead at the No. 2 spot, but saw Yusuke Kusuda roar back to take
the win, falling 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
Alberch dropped a hard-fought match vs. the Chanticleers'
Matias DiPasquale at No. 4, coming just short in a dramatic 6-7 (3), 7-6 (9),
6-4 decision.
Gardner-Webb next competes at the 2012 Big South
Championship, to be held Thursday, April 19 - Saturday, April 21 in Asheville,
N.C.
Match Results: CCU 5 - GWU 2
Doubles
1. Matias Di Pasquale/Garik Yedigarian (CCU) def. Adam Knutsson-Sundblad/Korhan Ates (GWU) 8-6
2. Matt Parker/Ernest Alberch (GWU) def. John Karle/Sam Barr (CCU) 9-8
3. Yusuke Kusuda/Leo Christofides (CCU) def. Stephen Martin/Joao Poli (GWU) 9-7
Singles
1. Adam Knutsson-Sundblad (GWU) def. Leo Christofides (CCU) 7-6(5), 6-3
2. Yusuke Kusuda (CCU) def. Roman Piftor (GWU) 3-6, 7-5, 7-5
3. Garik Yedigarian (CCU) def. Korhan Ates (GWU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
4. Matias DiPasquale (CCU) def. Ernest Alberch (GWU) 6-7(3), 7-6(9), 6-4
5. Joao Poli (GWU) def. Sam Barr (CCU) 6-2, 6-1
6. John Karle (CCU) def. Brendan Dempsey (GWU) 6-3, 7-6(8)
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