No. 25 A&M Sweeps Saturday Doubleheader

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 25 Texas A&M men’s tennis team swept a pair of matches versus No. 19 Florida (4-3) and No. 66 Rice (4-2) Saturday at the Mitchell Tennis Center.

Florida (10-8, 5-3 SEC) was the early aggressor as it claimed the doubles point. The Gators took court 3 early which gave them the advantage. On court 1, No. 39 Noah Schachter/Trey Hilderbrand battled No. 70 Axel Nefve/Will Grant to the end, coming up just short (7-6(5)), which gave Florida the lead heading into singles.

The Aggies (13-8, 5-3 SEC) turned the momentum around securing three straight wins. On court 1, No. 38 Schachter tied the score with a dominant ranked win over No. 70 Nefve (6-2, 6-3). Following suit was No. 65 Raphael Perot, as he defeated No. 81 Grant on court 2 (7-5, 6-2), which gave the Maroon & White the lead. Immediately after, Guido Marson extended the advantage on court 4, as he bested Nate Bonetto (7-6(0), 6-3). The Gators answered back claiming courts 5 & 6 to knot the match at three, which left all the pressure on the back of Giulio Perego. He battled No. 97 Jonah Braswell back-and-forth on court 3, as the pair split two tiebreaker sets. Ultimately it was Perego who outlasted his opponent (6-7(4), 7-6(5), 7-6(2)), clinching the match for the Aggies, 4-3.

Following a quick turnaround to the second match of the day, Rice (11-8) won on both courts 1 and 2 in quick succession, securing the doubles point. Stefan Storch/Matthis Ross were locked into a battle on court 5 with Dylan Heap/Kabeer Kapasi (6-6), however the match was left unfinished due to the point being claimed.

Needing four wins to take the second match of the day, Marson evened the score on court 4 with a speedy (6-1, 6-1) victory over Campbell Salmon. Rice fired back with one of its own on court 3 regaining the lead. No. 65 Perot knotted the score once again with a win against Santiago Navarro on court 2 (6-4, 6-3). The Maroon & White took the lead after Rahul Dhokia bested Eduardo Morais (7-5, 6-3) on court 6. Sealing the deal on court 5 was Ross, as he outlasted Kapasi (6-4, 1-6, 6-3) which clinched the match, 4-2.

COACH’S QUOTES

Head coach Steve Denton on today’s match with Florida…

“I thought our guys did a great job and it was one of the most exciting matches I have seen since I took over as head coach at A&M. We were able to stay in the match after losing the doubles point as some guys really stepped up. Giulio [Perego] at the end was able to fight and put the team on his back battling through physical pain to come away with the win.”

Coach Denton on today’s match with Rice…

“In the nightcap it was more about our guys being able to adapt and handle a new quality team. We lost the doubles point but we were able to scratch through some matches, Raph [Raphael Perot] and Guido [Marson] played well again. I am very proud of Matt [Matthis Ross] and Rahul [Dhokia] coming in and grabbing the last two points to win the match.”

PLAYER’S QUOTES

Giulio Perego on clinching the Florida match…

“Clinching today was absolutely unreal, it was one of the best moments of my college career so far. I owed it to the guys as they were with me through the whole match. This win helps set the tone for the remainder of the conference schedule and then into the postseason.”

Raphael Perot on today’s match with Rice…

“It was a long, tough day and I started to feel tired during this match, but being able to still deliver and put a point on the board to help the team get the win is a great feeling.”

UP NEXT

The Aggies hit the road for a pair of conference matches, opening the trip versus No. 37 Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, April 7 at the Currey Tennis Center. The Maroon & White conclude their road stint in Oxford, Mississippi, where they face the No. 72 Ole Miss Rebels at Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center, April 9.

MATCH STATS

Singles Matches vs. Florida

No. 38 Noah Schachter Def. No. 70 Axel Nefve (6-2, 6-3)

No. 65 Raphael Perot Def. No. 81 Will Grant (7-5, 6-2)

Giulio Perego Def. No. 97 Jonah Braswell (6-7(4), 7-6(5), 7-6(2))

Guido Marson Def. Nate Bonetto (7-6(0), 6-3)

Lukas Greif Def. Trey Hilderbrand (4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3)

Tanapatt Nirundorn Def. Luke Casper (7-5, 7-5)

Doubles Matches vs. Florida

No. 70 Axel Nefve/Will Grant Def. No. 39 Noah Schachter/Trey Hilderbrand (7-6(5))

Nate Bonetto/Tanapatt Nirundorn Def. Kenner Taylor/Piere Rollins (6-2)

Raphael Perot/Giulio Perego - Lukas Greif/Jonah Braswell (3-5) Unfinished

Single Matches vs. Rice

No. 38 Noah Schachter - Trinity Grear (6-0, 6-7(6), 1-1) Unfinished

No. 65 Raphael Perot Def. Santiago Navarro (6-4, 6-3)

Wes Barnett Def. No. 104 Pierce Rollins (6-4, 6-3)

Guido Marson Def. Campbell Salmon (6-1, 6-1)

Matthis Ross Def. Kabeer Kapasi (6-4, 1-6, 6-3)

Rahul Dhokia Def. Eduardo Morais (7-5, 6-3)

Doubles Matches vs. Rice

Trinity Grear/Wes Barnett Def. Noah Schachter/Trey Hilderbrand (6-3)

Campbell Salmon/Santiago Navarro Def. Kenner Taylor/Pierce Rollins (6-4)

Stefan Storch/Matthis Ross - Dylan Heap/Kabeer Kapesi (6-6) Unfinished

MATCH STATS

• Raphael Perot has tallied the most singles wins in dual matches on the team with 13.
• Noah Schachter paces A&M with six ranked wins in dual matches this season.
• Rahul Dhokia holds a perfect 4-0 record in dual match singles play.
• Schachter/Trey Hilderbrand lead A&M with 12 dual match doubles wins.

TEAM NOTES

• Every Aggie to take part in a dual match this season has secured a singles win (11 players).
• Noah Schachter boasts two top-30 singles wins so far this season.
• The Maroon & White have won eight ranked matches this season, three of those have been the top-25.

ITA RANKINGS

• The team boasts four singles players and a doubles pair in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
• Ranked in singles: No. 38 Noah Schachter, No. 65 Raphael Perot, No. 104 Pierce Rollins and No. 113 Trey Hilderbrand.
• Ranked in doubles: No. 39 Schachter/Hilderbrand.

FOLLOW THE AGGIES

Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M men’s tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M men’s tennis team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN.

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