LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Belmont Men's Tennis faced off against its final non-conference opponent of the 2017 season on Sunday evening. The Bruins (7-10) fell on the road at No. 34 Louisville (13-4), 5-2, in the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
In doubles action, the Bruins had their hands full. At No. 1, the duo of senior Cedric Dujacquier (Feluy, Belgium) and freshman Hendrik Inno (Someru, Estonia) were held off by the No. 22 pair of Parker Wynn and Sean Donohue, 6-3. BU picked up a win at No. 2, 6-3, courtesy of the pair of sophomore Zak Khan (London, United Kingdom) and junior Stephen Goldman (Lutz, Fla.). The third doubles match was an intense battle that went to a 7-5 decision that went to senior Bruno Russo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and freshman Vincent Sterkens (Antwerp, Belgium) to secure the doubles point for BU.
Belmont was only able to notch one win on the singles side. Dujacquier, at No. 1 singles, picked up a straight set win over Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff, 6-2, 6-3. At No. 4, Khan battled into a third set before being edged 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 while at No. 6 singles, Russo was also forced into a third set before being held off, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
"This was probably our best doubles performance of the year," said Head Coach Mauricio Antun. "Our guys showed up with great energy and executing what we have been working on these past couple of weeks. I am proud by the way they kept focused and competing at the highest level in a very tough environment."
"We were right there going into singles. Cedric had a huge win against a very solid player and we were two sets away from beating a team that is ranked in the top 35 in the nation. That gives us a lot of confidence going into conference play for the rest of our season."
BU returns to action on Friday, March 31 at home. The Bruins host Eastern Illinois at Centennial Sportsplex. Match time is set for 2 p.m.
