Men's Tennis | 2/26/2023 11:18:00 PM
Box Score
EAST GREENSBORO – Several North Carolina A&T men's tennis players expressed nervousness about their 2023 season opener against Shaw University on Sunday at the Dudley High School Tennis Courts. But, obviously, all of them got over it. The Aggies dominated, beating the Bears 7-0, with all six singles players winning in straight sets. The Aggies also won the doubles point on Sunday by sweeping all three matches.
Two freshmen made their A&T debuts on Sunday in Alex Martinez and Mathieu Dussaubat. Martinez played at No. 3 singles and defeated Eduardo Valenca, 6-2, 6-2. Dussaubat won his debut at No. 6 singles with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Tom Letecheur. The freshman duo teamed together during doubles to defeat Valenca and Augustin Gastaldi 6-3.
"I started a little bit sloppy as I was still a bit nervous," said Martinez.
Martinez broke Valenca's serve to go up 3-1 and then took advantage of his serve to take a 4-1 lead before winning the first set.
"At that point, I was more relaxed and feeling the ball better," Martinez continued. "I started better in the second set, winning a deciding point and breaking my opponent's serve early in the set. I did what I had to do and stayed solid the whole match. I hurt my opponent with the forehand, which helped me close points at the net."
Playing at his new position in the lineup, No. 2 singles, sophomore Eder Blanco beat Lorenzo Martinetti, 6-1, 6-3. Blanco played aggressively with his serve and broke Martinetti's serve numerous times. He teamed with Esteban Lopez during doubles to defeat Aakashit Mahajan 6-1.
"I am really hyped up playing in this position and really happy with the win from today," said Blanco.
Ian Pedersen also expressed nervousness in his No. 4 singles matches. He defeated Augustin Gastaldi, 6-3, 6-2. Pederson and Ethan Baly beat Paul Charvoz and Letecheur 6-0.
"Overall, we played a good match," Pedersen said about teaming with Baly. "I was a little nervous but managed to play well. We both played a good match without too many mistakes.
In the beginning, I was a little nervous and made some unforced errors, but after a couple of games, I started to play more consistently," Pedersen continued as he discussed his singles win. "The opponent's backhand was a little weaker, so I tried to play there most of the time, and I managed to win. My serve and my forehand were working well."
In addition, Lopez was a winner at No. 1 singles with a win over Mahajan 6-2, 6-2. Baly won at No. 5 singles 6-1, 6-0 over Charvoz. A&T returns to action Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m., when they face Lenoir-Rhyne at the Dudley High School Tennis Courts.
