By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team soared during singles play in its OVC opener, as the Golden Eagles claimed five of the six matchups on their way to a 5-2 win at Belmont Tuesday afternoon in Music City.
The Golden Eagles (4-5, 1-0 OVC) conference-opening triumph runs the club's winning streak to four consecutive. TTU remains perfect against non "Power 5" competition this spring.
The win also ended Belmont's six-match surge, a streak that began for the Bruins (6-2, 0-1 OVC) after the squad dropped its season opener at Vanderbilt way back on Jan. 31.
Not only did the purple and gold capture five of the six singles battles in a matchup pitting the league's top two in terms of preseason rankings, but Tech did it style behind straight-set nods in each of the five victories. Evzen Holis knocked off Arthur Toledo, 6-2, 7-6, in the No. 2 slot, while Elias Grubert also found success toward the top of the TTU lineup with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Tomas Luis in the No. 3 clash.
The Golden Eagles took care of business toward the bottom of the lineup as well, as Rafael Tosetto marched his way to a 6-2, 6-2 nod against Taisei Miyamoto in the No. 4 get-together, Andre Rodeia secured a 6-4, 6-1 win over Diego Castro in the No. 5 meeting and Mika Berghaus registered a 6-2, 6-1 triumph against Alfred Wallin out of the No. 6 spot.
Belmont's lone win during solo action occurred in the No. 1 matchup thanks to a Marko Illic 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 victory over Carlos Vicente.
Tech's strong singles showing came on the heels of dropping the doubles point after the Bruins notched wins in two of the three tilts. Illic and Miyamoto powered past Holis and Jun Sasagawa, 6-3, in the No. 1 position, while Toledo and Jake Briggs picked up a 6-2 victory against Tosetto and Grubert in the No. 3 battle.
The No. 2 meeting between Andre Rodeia and Carlos Vicente and Diego Castro and Tomas Luis did not finish.
The Golden Eagles will look to make it five in a row, and in the process complete a perfect month of March, with a Saturday afternoon contest at Eastern Illinois. First serve in Charleston is set for 12 p.m. CT.
Photo by Thomas Corhern