Freshman Ivo Isqueiro (left) and senior Emilien Burnel compete in the men’s doubles conference opener against the Grand Canyon University Lopes today at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center on the Edinburg campus. The Vaqueros fell 5-2 against the Lopes. Abigail Ollave/THE RIDER
The UTRGV Men’s Tennis Team (8-13, 0-1 WAC) lost their first conference matchup 5-2 against the Grand Canyon University Lopes (6-11, 1-0 WAC) today at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center on the Edinburg campus.
The Lopes put on a strong display, overwhelming the Vaqueros in most singles and doubles matches.
Senior Emilien Burnel, the Vaqueros’ team captain, stood out for the team. Burnel performed well in the doubles and singles matches, securing victories in both.
UTRGV Men’s Tennis head coach Nathan Robinson said the Lopes were “tougher than us today.”
“We fought hard, but too many mental errors,” Robinson said. “We just gotta get better there.”
The doubles match to watch was on the Abraham C. Pardon Court between Vaqueros Burnel and freshman Ivo Isqueiro against the Lopes graduate Gerhard Sullwald and sophomore David Wekesa.
After falling behind 5-2, Isqueiro and Burnel mounted a comeback to take their set by a final of 7-6.
Asked about Burnel’s performance after the game, Robinson replied “that’s Emi.”
Abigail Ollave/THE RIDER
“That’s what he’s been doing since he got here,” the coach said. “We’re always proud of him. We know what we’re gonna get from him. He’s been our anchor since he got here. … He’s leaving quite a legacy here.”
Vaqueros sophomore Agustin Salazar and freshman Santiago Serrano kept it close in their doubles set on the David Armstrong Court but ultimately fell to Lopes Pablo Salvador and Alfred Almasi, 6-4.
GCU senior Wyatt Anderson and junior Jonathan Da Silva excelled in their doubles match on the John Sharpe Court against UTRGV freshmen Paolo Bonaguro and Will Roberts, taking it 6-1.
After the doubles matches were complete, the Lopes took a 1-0 overall lead.
They would start the singles set by taking another point on the John Sharpe Sourt, where UTRGV’s Isqueiro would face off against GCU’s Wekesa.
Wekesa would sweep Isqueiro, taking the first match, 6-0, and the second, 7-6, to extend Grand Canyon’s lead to 2-0.
The Lopes extended their lead to 3-0 after Almasi swept Serrano on Court 4. Almasi took his first set, 6-4, and his second, 7-6.
Salazar lost a couple of nail-biters on the David Armstrong Court against GCU’s Salvador, 7-5 and 5-4, to extend the Lopes’ lead, 4-0.
On Court 5, UTRGV’s Bonaguro fell behind against GCU’s Da Silva during the first match, 6-3. His next match was 6-4 to even the issue. He ultimately fell to give Da Silva the victory and the Lopes a 5-0 lead.
The Vaqueros finally got on the board at the end of Roberts’ match with Anderson. Roberts took his first set against Anderson, 6-3. Anderson fought back with a 6-4 set to even up the match.
Roberts ultimately secured the victory with a 6-3 final set, making it 5-1 overall.
Burnel fell behind early, losing his first set against Sullwald, 6-1. He then took the second match, 6-2, to set up a rubber match in the third set.
The third duel was intense, but Burnel ultimately won, 7-6, giving the Vaqueros a second point.
The match would end in a Lopes victory with a final of 5-2. The Vaqueros will play their next match at 11 a.m. April 7 against Seattle University at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center on the Edinburg campus.
The UTRGV Men’s Tennis Team plays against Grand Canyon University in the WAC opener today at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center on the Edinburg campus. The Vaqueros fell 5-2 against the Lopes. Abigail Ollave/THE RIDER
