Corpus Christi, Texas – In a rare tennis doubleheader, the Retrievers fell in a pair of matches to the host Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders. UMBC was edged, 4-3, in the nightcap, after dropping the opener, 4-0.
In the nightcap, UMBC (1-2) lost the doubles point, and were trailing 2-0 before junior Melker Svärd (Gothenburg, Sweden) defeated defeated Kevin Bettendroffer, 7-5, 6-2. AMCC took a 3-1 lead with a victory at No. 3 singles before the final three matches all came to a third and deciding set.
Junior Alex Drean (Bayonne, France) brought the visitors to within 3-2 with a roller-coasted 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 victory over Guillaume Rauseo at the No. 4 position. Both No. 5 Eliott Loubatié (Paris, France) and No. 6 Daniel Gray (Bowie, Md./The Bullis School) dropped their first sets and rallied to win in the second frame.
Patel would prevail over Paul Cook, 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 10-2, but not before the Islanders clinched the match as Loubatié, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 was unable to pull out the victory.
In the morning opener, AMCC came out strong, winning two of three doubles matches to take the point. Senior Kamal Patel (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley) and junior Eliott Loubatié (Paris, France) knotted the doubles competition with a 6-3 victory at the No. 3 spot, but UMBC's top duo of senior Gray and junior Alex Drean (Bayonne, France) fell, 6-3, and the Islanders took a 1-0 advantage to singles.
Three singles matches were tight battles, including the contest at No. 3, where junior Melker Svärd (Gothenburg, Sweden) was locked into a 7-5, 3-6, 1-1 match when it was halted. UMBC fell at Nos. 6 and 2 singles, but Drean gave the visitors hope when he recovered from a first-set loss to win, 6-1, in the second. But AMCC's Ricardo Mayagoitia came back to prevail, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 to give the Islanders the victory.
UMBC returns to Baltimore and will host Delaware on Feb. 8.
Match 1: Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 4, UMBC 0
Singles competition
1. Peter Nagy (AMCC) vs. Jaan Kononov (UMBC) 7-6 (7-5), 4-3, unfinished
2. Kevin Bettendroffer (AMCC) def. Justin Lansinger (UMBC) 6-3, 6-3
3. Ricardo Mayagoitia (AMCC) vs. Melker Svärd (UMBC) 7-5, 3-6, 1-1, unfinished
4. Guillaume Rauseo (AMCC) def. Alex Drean (UMBC) 6-4, 1-6, 6-1
5. Javier Pujol (AMCC) vs. Eliott Loubatié (UMBC) 7-6 (13-11), 3-3, unfinished
6. Paul Cook (AMCC) def. Daniel Gray (UMBC) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Peter Nagy/Guillaume Rauseo (AMCC) def. Daniel Gray/Alex Drean (UMBC) 6-3
2. Kevin Bettendroffer/Paul Cook (AMCC) def. Jaan Kononov/Melker Svärd (UMBC) 6-2
3. Eliott Loubatié/Kamal Patel (UMBC) def. Ricardo Mayagoitia/Javier Pujol (AMCC) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,2,4)
Match 2: Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 4, UMBC 3
Singles competition
1. Peter Nagy (AMCC) def. Jaan Kononov (UMBC) 6-1, 6-2
2. Melker Svärd (UMBC) def. Kevin Bettendroffer (AMCC) 7-5, 6-2
3. Ricardo Mayagoitia (AMCC) def. Justin Carter (UMBC) 6-4, 6-2
4. Alex Drean (UMBC) def. Guillaume Rauseo (AMCC) 6-2, 1-6, 6-1
5. Javier Pujol (AMCC) def. Eliott Loubatié (UMBC) 6-1, 5-7, 6-2
6. Daniel Gray (UMBC) def. Paul Cook (AMCC) 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 10-2
Doubles competition
1. Peter Nagy/Guillaume Rauseo (AMCC) def. Jaan Kononov/Melker Svärd (UMBC) 6-2
2. Kevin Bettendroffer/Paul Cook (AMCC) vs. Alex Drean/Daniel Gray (UMBC) 3-3, unfinished
3. Ricardo Mayagoitia/Javier Pujol (AMCC) def. Eliott Loubatié/Kamal Patel (UMBC) 6-1
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (1,2,3,4,5,6)
