GREENSBORO – Senior Ian Pedersen played his first career match at No. 1 singles in a match against Shaw University on Sunday, and it was a resounding success.
Pedersen won his singles matchup in straight sets, and the North Carolina A&T men's tennis team secured another shutout to improve to 3-0 with a 7-0 win over Shaw at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center.
Pedersen also played at No. 1 doubles, a position he has played in once previously as he teamed with Esteban Lopez on February 22, 2024, to defeat a duo from King University. On Sunday, he teamed with sophomore Said Akbarov to defeat Edoardo Brustia and Scott Ndengoue 6-2.
Freshman Jindrich Brill and sophomore Lucas Coupo-Moison clinched the doubles point for A&T by defeating Kristian Bilojelic and Franco Vedda 6-1. Coupo-Moison said the duo played solidly without making any big mistakes. Brill thought chemistry was the key.
"We have good energy together, and we know what the other one will do on the court," Brill said about playing with Coupo-Moison.
Junior Mathieu Dussaubat and sophomore Kaua Santos completed another doubles sweep for the Aggies, their third in as many matches, with a 6-2 win against Eduardo Valenca and Carlos Alcala. Dussaubat and Santos focused on putting the first serve and return into play. Dussaubat and Santos are 3-0 to start the season.
Akbarov gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead during singles play by defeating Alcala at No. 4 singles, 6-1, 6-1, before Pedersen's convincing debut at No. 1, where he defeated Brustia 6-0, 6-0. The clincher was Dussaubat's 6-1, 6-1 win over Scott Ndengoue at No. 6 singles.
"I focused on going to the net on short balls and closing on the balls in the volley," Dussaubat said. "I'm happy for the team, and we will keep working hard like we always do."
Brill gave the Aggies a 5-0 lead with his 6-1, 6-0 win over Vedda. The match went how Brill wanted because his serve game served him well along with his focus. Santos secured a win at No. 3 singles with his 6-1, 6-0 victory over Bilojelic.
The day ended with Coupo-Moison completing the A&T sweep with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Valenca at No. 2 singles.
"I felt good on the court, letting the game flow," said Coupo-Moison. "It was a good win, and I'm happy to bring another two points home for the team."
The Aggies will play their fourth straight home match to open the season when they welcome USC Sumter to the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center on Thursday, February 27 at 1 p.m.
