ORLANDO, Fla. – The North Carolina A&T men's tennis is on a spring break trip in Florida this week. As a part of the Aggies' funny will be trying to dominate their competition. That got off to a great start Monday with a 7-0 win over Saint John's University at the USTA National Campus.
A&T's appearance at the National Campus became a different experience, not because of the fabulous venue but because the Aggies were playing outside. A&T has mostly played at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center because the winter North Carolina weather has yet to subside.
That is not the case in Florida. A&T played in the heat, but it did not seem to matter. The Aggies took over from the start at No. 1 doubles with graduate Esteban Lopez and freshman Lucas Coupo-Moison. The duo defeated Ryan Will and Ian Aadland 6-1.
"It was hot today, but I managed well in the heat," said Coupo-Moison.
Kaua Santos and Mathieu Dussaubat stepped up to the weather challenges next and defeated Will Deters and Alex Draeger 6-1 to clinch the doubles point. However, Ian Pedersen and Said Akbarov completed the sweep for A&T with a win over Cooper Anderson and Mark Rosen.
"We focused primarily on putting first serves and returns inbounds," said Dussaubat about his win with Santos. "We did what we had to do at the net and did not make a lot of mistakes. We got slightly more used to the weather, and it was a good day overall."
Lopez finished first in singles because he breezed to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Will. Santos blanked his opponent in the first set, 6-0, at No. 4 singles. He completed the straight-set win by winning the second set 6-3 to give the Aggies a 3-0 lead.
"In doubles, I made sure I did things I practiced, applying the concepts and being focused on the win," said Lopez. It was the same in singles. I always respect my opponent, and I make sure I give my best. That's how I won: playing my game and going through the guy."
Coupo-Moison clinched the match for the Aggies at No. 2 singles with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Aadland. Pedersen continued the Aggies' dominance with a win at No. 3 singles over Sam Wolden, 6-1, 6-0. Junior Ethan Baly continued to play well to start the season as he defeated Taylor Duncan at No. 6 singles, 6-0, 6-2.
Santos put the exclamation point on the match with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Mark Rosen. Santos said he played solidly and took advantage of all his opportunities. The Aggies will continue to play in Florida throughout A&T's spring break.
"In doubles, we started missing some easy shots, but we fixed it, and we didn't miss much the rest of the way," said Pedersen. Overall, it was a nice day to get our bodies going and get used to the heat."
