SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Western New Mexico University men’s tennis team fought off a tough Mesa Community College team on Saturday to claim the 6-3 victory.
In doubles play, Juan Pablo Fuentes (Guadalajara, Mexico)/Alvaro Nunez (Madrid, Spain) came through with a dominating 8-2 win at No. 2. Jean-Laurent Pageault (Perrigny, France/Academi des Hauts de Nimes)/Omar Lopez (Naucalpan, Mexico) nearly had the same result at No. 3 coming away with an 8-4 win. Tristan Da Lio (Casablanca/Academie des Hauts de Nimes)/Vladimir Gnilozubov (Kazakhstan, Astana/Kazakhstan) posted four games at No. 1 before falling, 4-8.
In singles, Nunez was the first to finish as he had no troubles at No. 4 cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 win. Gnilozubov helped push the Mustangs one point from victory as he tallied a 6-3, 6-2 victory. Da Lio sealed the win for WNMU as he won a pair of tiebreakers at No. 3, 7-6, 7-6. Fuentes pulled off a furious comeback in his match at the top flight as he won the first set, 6-4 and after dropping the second, 2-6, he was trailing, 2-5, in the third set before reeling off five straight games to take the third, 7-5. Pageault grabbed seven games at No. 2 before falling, 3-6, 4-6. Lopez fell at No. 6 after tallying five games, 3-6, 2-6.
With the win, WNMU is now 6-9 on the season and they will open RMAC play on Apr. 3 in Denver against Montana State-Billings and Colorado Christian.
