Gardner-Webb Slips Up in Regular Season Finale, Falls 5-2 to Visiting Coastal Carolina
April 16, 2012 | Men's Tennis
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)
