Youngstown State University
IUPUI
Penguins Open HL Play With 5-2 Win Over IUPUI
3/27/2021 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
The Youngstown State men's tennis team opened Horizon League play with a 5-2 win over IUPUI on Saturday afternoon at the YSU Indoor Tennis Center.
YSU improves to 8-5 overall and 1-0 in the Horizon League while IUPUI falls to 4-6 and 0-1.
The Penguins won a hard-earned doubles point that saw two matches exceed 50 minutes.
At No. 1, Vasilis Vardakis and Erik Gran picked up a 6-4 win while the other matches were back-and-forth contests. At No. 2, Joao Garretto and David Alvarez Moreno trailed 3-0 before rallying to take a 5-4 lead. IUPUI tied the match 5-5 before the Penguins won the final two points of the contest, including a deuce-point on match point. At No. 3, Mandocescu and Ibaniez trailed 3-1 before tying the contest up at four. The teams traded points, but the Jaguars took a 6-5 lead. That match concluded on deuce-point with the Penguins serving to stave off the defeat.
In singles play, YSU picked up straight set wins from Gran, Moreno and Laurentiu Mandocescu while Garretto won his match in three sets.
At No. 3, Gran won 6-2, 6-2 over Sean Bailey in the first completed singles contest at No. 3. Moreno fought off a comeback bid by Emil Jankowski to earn a 6-2, 7-6 (4) win at No. 5. Mandocescu earned the clinching victory at No. 2. He won his first set 6-4 before trailing 4-3 in the second. Mandocescu won the final three points to win the second set 6-4. At No. 4, Garretto rallied for a 4-6, 7-6, 10-5 win for the final YSU victory.
At No. 1, Vardakis dropped a three-set tilt while Asier Pena Ibanez lost a three-set decision at No. 6.
YSU and IUPUI conclude the weekend with a 1 p.m. match on Sunday at the YSU Indoor Tennis Center.
