Men’s Tennis’ Winning Streak Snapped at Charlotte

Friday, March 6

Charlotte, N.C.

10 a.m.

University of North Florida

Charlotte

Kotan earned a win at singles and doubles Friday.

Photo by: Todd Drexler

3/6/2020 2:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

Ospreys Clipped, 4-3

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - UNF men's tennis' (5-1) had its five-match winning streak to start the 2020 season snapped after the host Charlotte 49ers (6-5) clipped the Ospreys, 4-3, Friday, March 6.

North Florida and Charlotte have met three times in series history, and all three times the match has had a 4-3 decision.

UNF took a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point. PJ Kotan and Nilo Duarte cruised to a 6-2 win against Cole Brainard and Ignasi de Rueda. Federico Nani and Jorge Nunez clinched the point with a 6-1 triumph at the second slot.

Duarte turned around to upend Henry Lieberman 7-5, 6-1, at the top singles slot and Kotan overcame Cole Brainard in straight sets to give UNF a 3-0 lead.

The hosts would come back to win at the four remaining singles slot to earn the win. The match was decided at the three singles slot between Matt Carroll and Charlotte's Constandinos Christoforou. Tied one set apiece, Christoforou earned a 6-4 victory in set three.

Charlotte 4, UNF 3
March 6, 2020 | Charlotte, N.C. | Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex

Singles Competition
1. Nilo Duarte (UNF) def. Henry Lieberman (CLT) 7-5, 6-1
2. Benjamin Wayand (CLT) def. Dominik Barton (UNF) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
3. C. Christoforou (CLT) def. Matt Carroll (UNF) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
4. Leonardo Menezes (CLT) def. Federico Nani (UNF) 7-6 (8-6), 7-5
5. Ignasi de Rueda (CLT) def. Jorge Nunez (UNF) 6-3, 7-5
6. Patrick Kotan (UNF) def. Cole Brainard (CLT) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles Competition
1. #48 Benjamin Wayand/Henry Lieberman (CLT) vs. Dominik Barton/Matt Carroll (UNF) 5-4, unfinished
2. Federico Nani/Jorge Nunez (UNF) def. Leonardo Menezes/C. Christoforou (CLT) 6-1
3. PJ Kotan/Nilo Duarte (UNF) def. Cole Brainard/Ignasi de Rueda (CLT) 6-2

Match Notes
North Florida 5-1
Charlotte 6-5
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,6,2,5,4,3)

Other Notes

Duarte is 5-0 on the season in dual singles play.
All three matches against Charlotte in series history have been decided, 4-3.
It was UNF's first loss of the season. It's 5-0 start set a UNF DI record.
Kotan and Duarte and 4-0 as doubles partners this spring.

Coach Lucas' Comments
"It was a tough one today for the guys. We played some of our cleanest doubles of the year and had loads of momentum. In singles we got two really comprehensive performances at the top and bottom of the lineup to get a big 3-0 lead. From there we were just too passive and not sharp enough to push across the line for the fourth point. There were so many missed opportunities with set points and having serve broken in the third set. Good teams like Charlotte aren't going to hand it to you and we didn't go out and grab the final point. It's a disappointment for sure as the match was on our rackets to win at a tough place. We will get some rest and gear up for two more tomorrow." -- Head coach Matt Lucas

Up Next
UNF battles Georgia State and Appalachian State tomorrow in Charlotte.