Sunday, March 21
Houston, Texas
Noon
Rice University
1
vs
4
FAU
FAU Takes Finale of Invitational
3/21/2021 3:25:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Next Match: UTA on 3/25
Houston: The Rice men's tennis team dropped a 4-1 decision to FAU in the final match of the 62nd Ralph O'Connor Rice Invitational on Sunday at the George R. Brown Tennis Center. Rice fell to 7-8 and 0-3 in Conference USA.
Doubles: Much as it had been through the first two days of play during the weekend, the doubles point was hotly contested. FAU leveraged early breaks at the first two lines to secure the point with 6-4 wins while Rice held a 5-3 lead and was serving when the point was clinched. All seven completed doubles matches over the weekend between Rice, Texas Tech and FAU were decided by 6-4 scores.
Singles: Mohamed Abdel-Aziz quickly evened the score at 1-1 with a swift win at the second line, but FAU grabbed four of the remaining five first sets, dropping just six games at the final three lines. Sumit Sarkar registered Rice's other first set win, but was extended to third set to hold another point off the board. Trinity Grear bounced back from a 6-1 loss in his first set and was serving for the second set at 5-4 when the match was clinched.
Efe Ustundag: "We got broken in the first game at one (in doubles) on one good return. We weren't very sharp at the start. At 4-5, we put ourselves in a 15-40 scenario to break, but couldn't finish it. At two, we had ample opportunities to break back. They had a 15-40 as well and a couple other deuce points. They had their chances. At three, we were ready to serve for the set, but by then the point was gone. Give credit to Mo and Su for coming out strong in their first sets, but when you drop four first sets that were not that competitive, it really puts you behind the eight ball. It's such a cliché to say it's never a break until you hold, but that happened to us a number of times today. We could not solidify a break. We could never carry the momentum from a tough game into the next. We never gave us a chance to build any momentum. This conference is getting stronger by the year. We're 0-3 right now, but the difference is not that much. It's just a matter of gaining some confidence and getting some wins down the stretch."
Up Next: The Rice men's team will combine with the women to host UTA on Thursday at 1 p.m.
Doubles: Much as it had been through the first two days of play during the weekend, the doubles point was hotly contested. FAU leveraged early breaks at the first two lines to secure the point with 6-4 wins while Rice held a 5-3 lead and was serving when the point was clinched. All seven completed doubles matches over the weekend between Rice, Texas Tech and FAU were decided by 6-4 scores.
Singles: Mohamed Abdel-Aziz quickly evened the score at 1-1 with a swift win at the second line, but FAU grabbed four of the remaining five first sets, dropping just six games at the final three lines. Sumit Sarkar registered Rice's other first set win, but was extended to third set to hold another point off the board. Trinity Grear bounced back from a 6-1 loss in his first set and was serving for the second set at 5-4 when the match was clinched.
Efe Ustundag: "We got broken in the first game at one (in doubles) on one good return. We weren't very sharp at the start. At 4-5, we put ourselves in a 15-40 scenario to break, but couldn't finish it. At two, we had ample opportunities to break back. They had a 15-40 as well and a couple other deuce points. They had their chances. At three, we were ready to serve for the set, but by then the point was gone. Give credit to Mo and Su for coming out strong in their first sets, but when you drop four first sets that were not that competitive, it really puts you behind the eight ball. It's such a cliché to say it's never a break until you hold, but that happened to us a number of times today. We could not solidify a break. We could never carry the momentum from a tough game into the next. We never gave us a chance to build any momentum. This conference is getting stronger by the year. We're 0-3 right now, but the difference is not that much. It's just a matter of gaining some confidence and getting some wins down the stretch."
Up Next: The Rice men's team will combine with the women to host UTA on Thursday at 1 p.m.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2
#1 Singles Match
1234
Maxime Lapraille / 0 (122/-) [FAU]
4610
621UF
#2 Singles Match
12
Kevin Huempfner / 0 [FAU]
66
44
#3 Singles Match
12
Filip Krolo / 0 [FAU]
23
66
#4 Singles Match
12
A. Fernandez Horta / 0 [FAU]
66
33
#5 Singles Match
12
Gerard Escandell / 0 [FAU]
66
22
#6 Singles Match
123
Finn Stodder / 0 [FAU]
640
15UF
Order of Finish:
3,5,2,4
Players Mentioned
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