The University of Louisville men’s tennis team secured a convincing 5-0 victory over Eastern Kentucky on Sunday evening at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. This marks the third sweep of the season for the Cardinals and their fourth consecutive victory, bringing their overall record to 4-0.
Head coach Rodrigo da Silva praised his team’s performance, saying, “I’m proud of the guys and how they competed today. It was another long day with back-to-back matches, but they took care of business. Hopefully we can take this momentum into the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.”
The match began with a strong showing from the Cardinals in doubles, as Alex Wesbooks and Matthew Fung secured the first victory of the match by defeating Zach White and Kristoffer Stahlbrand 6-2 on court two. At the No. 3 spot, Sergio Hernandez and Etienne Donnet locked in the doubles point for Louisville, taking down Paul-Antoine Brazet and Arthur Bugeaud 6-3.
In singles play, Hernandez put together a dominating victory at the No. 4 spot, defeating Bugeaud 6-0, 6-1 to give Louisville a 2-0 lead in the match. Will Mayew also had a strong performance on court five, rallying from a 1-2 deficit in the first set to secure a 6-3 win over Brazet, as well as a 6-3 win in the second set to propel Louisville to a 3-0 lead.
Etienne Donnet then clinched the match for the Cards with cruising past J. Anurag Reddy 6-0, 6-2 victories at the No. 2 spot. Natan Rodrigues secured the final win on court one taking down Moritz Mayer 6-3, 6-1.
The Cardinals will now hit the road for the first time this spring when they head to Athens, Ga. for the International Tennis Association (ITA) Kick-Off weekend. UofL will face Miami in a non-conference matchup on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 11 a.m. and either Georgia or LSU on the following day. With the momentum from this victory, the Cardinals will be looking to continue their winning streak and make a strong showing at the ITA Kick-Off weekend.