BELMONT, NC – Eder Blanco's anticipation leading up to the North Carolina A&T men's tennis match at Belmont Abbey College on Wednesday found two rewards. Freshman Mathieu Dussaubat improved while winning, and Ian Pedersen remained undefeated as the Aggies defeated Belmont Abbey 7-0 at Reidy Tennis Center.
The Aggies, who played their third straight road match, improved to 9-0. In addition, they posted their third shutout of the season. Belmont Abbey dropped to 12-19 on the season.
Blanco, who lost his last two doubles and singles matches, stepped into the winner's circle twice on Wednesday. First, Blanco teamed with Alex Martinez at No. 2 doubles to defeat Gabriel Martin and Jai Rowe 6-2. Later, Blanco Nicholas Gray in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
"In terms of singles, I was super hyped up to play again after two tough losses against UNC Asheville and UNCG," said Blanco. "I wanted to get back on the court really bad. I played aggressively to get an early chance to break and create opportunities to win the sets. I was playing aggressively with my serve, forehand and backhand.
"Overall, I was satisfied with the work I put in the days after the losses at Asheville and UNCG and really happy to see it was worth it."
Blanco won his first seven singles matches this season before running into his recent two-match losing streak. His duo with Martinez this season has produced a 5-3 record.
"I'm happy with the new way we're playing doubles after some tough losses in the doubles in the past two matches," Blanco added. "We played aggressively and broke a couple of times to have a good chance of winning."
Dussaubat had no redemption to gather, but he was seeking improvement. Dussaubat won his second straight singles match with his 6-3, 6-2 win over Belmont's Sullivan Monteith at No. 6 singles. Dussaubat and Pedersen's doubles match went unfinished after the Aggies clinched the doubles point with Vasil Ivanov and Esteban Lopez's 6-3 No. 1 doubles win over Xaveam Van Wijk and Nelson Stafford.
"I was happy today not because of the win but because I improved," said Mathieu. "I always tried to be in control of the point so I could move forward to the net. I was happy because I hit some good backhands today, and I was also happy with the team's score overall."
Pedersen keeps showing evidence of his hard work. He is now 9-0 on the season after a hard-fought three-set win over Zak Vince, 3-6, 6-1, 10-7 at No. 5 singles. Pedersen made mistakes in the first set against Vince, who started the match playing flawlessly. However, Pedersen raised his level of play in the second set before winning the tiebreaker.
Ivanov won his sixth straight singles match and improved to 7-1 on the season with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Rowe to improve to 40-26 in his career. At No. 4 singles, Martinez defeated Martin 6-1, 6-0, and reigning Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) singles men's player of the week Esteban Lopez won at No. 1 singles 6-2, 6-0 over Charlie Fremaux.
"We are working pretty hard, but this is proof that it's working, and we have to keep pushing and keep our eyes on the prize," said Mathieu. And perhaps a little redemption, improvement and perfection will continue to come along with it.
