By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team's season-opening, 10-match road swing came to a close Saturday afternoon with a 6-1 loss to No. 26 Florida State. Tech's sixth matchup against a nationally-ranked foe in 10 total contests this season saw the purple and gold forced to play shorthanded for the third time this season with only five available Golden Eagles.
Mika Berghuas provided Tech (1-9) with its lone point thanks to a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) triumph against Josh Karpenschif in the No. 2 singles battle. The other four completed solo clashes ended in two sets, including Elias Grubert's tangle with No. 45 Loris Pourroy in the No. 1 meeting.
Richard Thongoana secured a 6-4, 6-2 nod over Andre Rodeia in the No. 3 slot, while Youcef Rihane registered a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Carlos Vicente in the No. 4 position and John Bernard collected a 6-1, 6-4 nod against Jun Sasagawa in the No. 5 spot. Tech was unable to fill the No. 6 singles spot against the Seminoles (12-6), which allowed FSU to capture the point at the bottom of the lineup.
Doubles play provided a similar result after TTU entered tandem action having to win both matchups in order to pick up the point with five Golden Eagles in the mix. Alex Butte and Youcef Rihane earned a 6-2 win against Carlos Vicente and Jun Sasagawa in the only completed duel in the No. 2 slot to seize the point, even with Mika Berghaus and Elias Grubert leading 4-3 against Loris Pourroy and Josh Karpenschif in the top get-together at the time it went unfinished.
Playing exclusively on the road this spring, the Golden Eagles are set to make their home debut on Thursday, Mar. 31 with a 1 p.m. match against in-state foe Chattanooga. Admission to Tech Tennis Courts is free of charge.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
