Lehigh Men’s Tennis Falls to SMU Mustangs 5-2 in Texas Showdown
DALLAS – The Lehigh Mountain Hawks wrapped up their spring break trip to Texas with a hard-fought match against the SMU Mustangs on Wednesday evening. Despite securing two crucial wins, the Mountain Hawks ultimately fell 5-2 to the Mustangs.
Match Summary
| Team | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SMU | 5 | Earned the opening doubles point and maintained their momentum throughout the match. |
| Lehigh | 2 | Picked up two crucial wins in singles play but fell short in the doubles and key singles matches. |
Doubles Play
| Match | Lehigh Players | SMU Players | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blekhman/Jaeger | Svajda/Cloud | 4-5 UF |
| 2 | Morash/Raney | Deo/Calvelo | 6-1 |
| 3 | Murariu/Donovan | McDonald/Silagy | 6-2 |
Singles Play
| Match | SMU Player | Lehigh Player | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerry Barton | Jose Murariu | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 2 | Ofek Shimanov | Marc Blekhman | 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 |
| 3 | Georgi Georgiev | Jackson Morash | 6-1, 6-1 |
| 4 | Xavier Calvelo | Benedict Horn-Bourque | 6-4, 4-5 UF |
| 5 | Noah McDonald | Ofer Hacohen | 6-4, 6-1 |
| 6 | Liam Sunkel | Wyeth Anzilotti | 6-3, 6-2 |
Order of finish: 3, 1, 6, 5, 2
Key Moments and Takeaways
The Mustangs secured the opening doubles point with a 6-2 win over Jose Murariu and Luke Donovan, and a 6-1 victory by Vikas Deo and Xavier Calvelo over Jackson Morash and Nate Raney. Georgi Georgiev’s two-set win at number three kickstarted singles play for the Mustangs, followed by Jerry Barton’s decisive victory over Murariu at number one, setting the Mustangs one win away from clinching the match.
Wyeth Anzilotti’s 6-3, 6-2 win at number six and Benedict Horn-Bourque’s retirement win at number five provided crucial points for the Mountain Hawks, but the Mustangs’ victories at numbers five and two sealed their 5-2 triumph.
Next Up for Lehigh
The Mountain Hawks will have more than a week off before their next match, scheduled for Sunday, March 23 against Saint Francis in Loretto, Pa.