NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's tennis defeated Illinois State, 6-1, and Cumberland (Tenn.), 7-0, Saturday from Ensworth Tennis Center.
The Bruins quickly earned the doubles' point vs. the Redbirds, gaining match victories from senior Hendrik Inno (Someru, Estonia) and junior Marko Ilic (Zagreb, Croatia) as well as senior Vincent Sterkens (Antwerp, Belgium) and junior Grant Kelly (Atlanta, Ga.).
In singles' action, Ilic won in straight set tiebreaks over promising Summit League player Jorge A.B. Quispe.
From there, the Bruins closed out the competitive match with four straight triumphs in decisive third sets. Senior Felix Rauch (Osterode, Germany) continued his stellar form, while Sterkens and freshman Arthur Toledo (Greenacres, Fla.) also were victorious.
Notably, junior Taisei Miyamoto (Chiba, Japan) defeated Summit League newcomer of the year candidate Nam Pham.
In the nightcap, Belmont Director of Tennis Mauricio Antun was able to experiment with new lineups against the NAIA Cumberland (Tenn.) side.
Two 6-0 victories in doubles' action gave Belmont the first point, as the Bruins remained focused into singles' play.
Kelly was able to double-bagel his opponent, while Rauch, Miyamoto, Toledo, junior Jake Briggs (Marietta, Ga.) and junior David Faulkner (Birmingham, Ala.) all earned straight set wins.
"Any time you play a doubleheader and you finish 2-0, it is encouraging and a positive," Antun said. "I felt like we played solid doubles today. We started off a little slow against Illinois State in singles, but the guys found a way to fight through adversity and we earned good three-set wins. I am proud of the effort and development of our team, and we look forward to another good week of practice to prepare for Chattanooga and UNC Asheville."
Belmont returns to action Friday, Feb. 7 vs. Chattanooga. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Belmont 6, Illinois State 1
Singles' competition
1. Felix Rauch (BELM) def. Diego Le Gal Perez (ILST) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
2. Pol Botifoll Rius (ILST) def. Hendrik Inno (BELM) 7-5, 7-5
3. Marko Ilic (BELM) def. Jorge A.B. Quispe (ILST) 7-6, 7-6
4. Arthur Toledo (BELM) def. Melker Isaakson (ILST) 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
5. Taisei Miyamoto (BELM) def. Nam Pham (ILST) 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
6. Vincent Sterkens (BELM) def. Aleksa Lazarevic (ILST) 2-6, 7-6, 7-6
Doubles' competition
Belmont 7, Cumberland (Tenn.) 0
Singles' competition
1.
Felix Rauch (BELM) def. Alejo Bagnera (CUMB) 6-2, 6-1
3.
Jake Briggs (BELM) def. Javier Alonso Egea (CUMB) 6-2, 6-1
4.
Arthur Toledo (BELM) def. Aleksandar Milosevic (CUMB) 6-1, 6-2
6.
Grant Kelly (BELM) def. Felipe Sarpa (CUMB) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles' competition
