HENDERSON — Competing on the newly renovated Clyde Woods Tennis Complex, the Freed-Hardeman University Lions and Lady Lions opened their seasons with a pair of victories over Rust (Miss.) College. Utilizing the ITA's short roster rule, the Lady Lions managed a 4-1 victory while the Lions claimed a more typical 7-0 sweep.
For the women, the fewest players a match could have is 4-vs-4, featuring one doubles match and four singles matches.
Anna Harder and
Audrey Harder earned the doubles point for the Lady Lions (1-0) with a 7-5 victory.
Suri Gomez mowed down her Bearcat (0-1) competition with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep.
Kennley Kirk took care of business on court two with a 6-1, 6-0 win. The final competitive match featured
Caroline Marshall who fell 6-0, 6-0. Win no other Bearcats available,Â
Eva Cieux won via forfeit on the last court.
On the men's half of the court, the Lions (1-0) had a few very competitive matches.
Carlos Garcia and
Martin Brena took their opponents the distance before falling 7-6.
Dev Prakash and
Tanmay Tomar earned their doubles win 6-1, while
Dylan Parker and
Sam Stone managed a win by forfeit to earn the doubles point.
On the No. 1 court,
Steven Schöning Santibáñez got the win over Rust (0-1) with a 6-0, 6-0 win while
Lane Paton got a win on court five 6-0, 6-1.
Dev Prakash handled his match with a 6-2, 6-3 victory, while
Carlos Garcia won 6-3, 6-1.
Benjamin Ganem's marathon was the highlight of the dual, winning the first set before his opponent claimed the second. Ultimately, Ganem won the tiebreak set and the match 7-5, 2-6, 1-0 (7).
*Story edited 10/5 to reflect corrected score for No. 1 men's singles match.
