BALTIMORE – The UMBC class of 2016 carried the day for the men's tennis team, as four juniors were double-winners as the host Retrievers defeated a solid Navy squad, 5-2, at the UMBC Tennis Complex.

UMBC won for the third time in four outings and improved to 9-5, while Navy slipped to 15-9.

Newcomer Jaan Kononov (Talinn, Estonia) and co-captain Melker Svard (Gothenburg, Sweden) posted the first win of the day, getting a break early and defeating Thomas Pecor/Austin Jones, 8-4, at No. 1 doubles. Shortly thereafter, local product Justin Carter (Randallstown, Md.) and Eliott Loubatie (Paris, France) broke in the final game to edge Blake Daniel/Calvin Mark, 8-5, at No. 2 doubles, to secure the doubles point for the hosts.

Svard carried the momentum into singles, where he dropped three games and improved to 8-4 in singles on the spring with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Jones. 

Carter gave UMBC a 3-0 lead in a solid 6-3, 6-4 decision over Daniel and Kononov got stronger throughout his match with Mark and triumphed, 6-3, 6-1, clinching the match for the Retrievers. Loubatie followed with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6 triumph over Pecor.  

The Retrievers' matches on Long Island at Stony Brook and Hofstra have been postponed, hence, UMBC is not slated to take the courts again until an April 8 date at Howard.

UMBC 5, Navy 2

Doubles competition

1. Melker Svard/Jaan Kononov (UMBC) def. Thomas Pecor/Austin Jones, (USNA), 8-4

2. Justin Carter/Eliott Loubatie (UMBC) def. Blake Daniel/Calvin Mark, (USNA), 8-5

3. Daniel Gray/Biyik Akinshemoyin  (UMBC), led. Andrey Majkic/Tyler Tossavainen, (USNA), 7-3, dnf

Singles competition

1. Kononov (UMBC) def. Mark (USNA), 6-3, 6-1
2. Svard (UMBC), def. Jones (USNA) 6-0, 6-3
3. Carter (UMBC) def. Daniel (USNA), 6-3, 6-4
4. Loubatie (UMBC) def. Pecor (USNA) 7-5, 7-6
5. Tossavainen (USNA) def. Gray (UMBC), 2-6, 6-4, (10-8)
6. Majkic (USNA) def. Akinshemoyin (UMBC), 6-3, 4-6, (10-2)