CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Belmont Men's Tennis continued to roll in the early season, picking up a win on the road at Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon. The Bruins (3-1) handily defeated the Mocs (0-4), 5-2 at the Strang-Voges Tennis Center.
"I thought we played a good match today," said Head Coach Mauricio Antun. "We play against Chattanooga every spring and we always have tough matches with them. Today was no different, and I am glad we came out with the win."
The Bruins got off to a hot start in doubles action at No. 1 with Cedric Dujacquier (Feluy, Belgium) and Hendrik Inno (Someru, Estonia) picking up the first win of the day with a 6-1 victory. The No. 3 doubles battle finished next with Vincent Sterkens (Antwerp, Belgium) and Bruno Russo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) earning a 6-4 win at No. 3. Stephen Goldman (Lutz, Fla.) and Zak Khan (London, United Kingdom) were leading at No. 2, 4-3, before the match was halted.
"Our energy in doubles wasn't the same as our previous matches this year, but we played smart and got the job done. It is always important to win the doubles point, it gives us a lot of confidence going into singles play," Antun noted.
The confidence remained high as the Bruins rolled into singles play. Sterkens (No. 3) finished his opponent in straight sets for BU's first singles win of the day, 6-2, 6-0. His doubles partner, Russo, handed Belmont its third point of the day at No. 6, winning 6-2, 6-4. A 6-1, 6-4 win by Inno at No. 2 put BU ahead, 4-0. Goldman rallied at No. 5 after dropping the first, 4-6, to win 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 and extend Belmont's win streak to three in the early season.
"Vincent and Hendrik got off great starts and took care of business early on the match," Antun said. "That helped all of the other guys and they fed off their energy to finish the match strong."
Belmont returns to action Friday, February 3 with its home opener against Alabama A&M. The match will be contested at 4 p.m. at the courts at Nashboro Village.
Belmont 5, Chattanooga 2
Doubles competition
1. Cedric Dujacquier/Hendrik Inno (BELM) def. Niklas Gerdes/Nic Wilson (UTC) 6-1
2. Michael Birnbaum/Max Grobbelaar (UTC) vs. Stephen Goldman/Zak Khan (BELM) 3-4, unfinished
3. Vincent Sterkens/Bruno Russo (BELM) def. Paul LaHue/Simon Bustamante (UTC) 6-4
Singles competition
1. Niklas Gerdes (UTC) def. Cedric Dujacquier (BELM) 6-2, 6-4
2. Hendrik Inno (BELM) def. Nic Wilson (UTC) 6-1, 6-4
3. Vincent Sterkens (BELM) def. Pablo Llebeili (UTC) 6-2, 6-0
4. Simon Bustamante (UTC) def. Zak Khan (BELM) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (11-9)
5. Stephen Goldman (BELM) def. Derrick Brown (UTC) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8)
6. Bruno Russo (BELM) def. Max Grobbelaar (UTC) 6-2, 6-4
