Pirates Blank George Mason 7-0

Friday, February 1

Greenville, N.C.

2:30 PM

East Carolina University

George Mason University

February 01, 2019 | Men's Tennis

Box Score Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The ECU men's tennis team continued its perfect start to the season by topping George Mason 6-1 on Friday afternoon inside the ECU Indoor Tennis Center.

"I don't think the end score really shows how competitive today's match was," said head coach Shawn Heinchon. "I thought George Mson played really solid and our guys did a great job fighting through what was maybe not their most perfect tennis. This will certainly help us be more ready for Sunday. There was very good fighting and playing by both Diogo (Marques) and Wisse (Jonker) getting through very tough, competitive three-set matches."

For the fourth time in five matches, ECU (5-0) claimed the doubles point. The pairing of Javier Renones and Simon Labbe has a team-best 6-1 record and they won their third straight match, topping George Mason's (0-3) Giuliano Buzoianu and Erick Rivas 6-1 on court three, to open the match. The Pirates clinched the point when Wisse Jonker and Vlad Anghel beat Pally Ryan and Ryan Charles 6-4 on court two.

Of the first three singles matches to take the courts, the first proved to have the least amount of drama. Anghel coasted to 6-3, 6-1 win over Ryan on court two for his second straight win while playing at No. 2.

The matches on courts one and three both turned out to be three-set thrillers. On court three, Jonker fell behind Jakob Nielsen 6-3 in the first set. The sophomore rebounded well, taking the second set 6-2. In the third set, Jonker trailed early on, falling behind 3-1 and 4-3. After the pair traded break points to make the score 5-4 in favor of Nielsen, Jonker needed another break to stay alive. Not only did he get that break point, Jonker carried that momentum and won the next two game, earning a 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 win to improve to 5-0 in dual matches.

Although the match on court one started before the match on court four, it was court four that acted as the clincher. Renones moved quickly in the first set, topping Buzoianu 6-1. The second set was a bit closer, but Renones came out on top for a 6-1, 6-3 win.

Although the team match was decided, the two players on court one played an incredibly tight match, with all three sets tied at 5-5. In the first set, Ayers broke that 5-5 tie and went on to take the lead 7-5. In the second, Marques trailed most of the way, including when Ayers held a 6-5 lead. The freshman trailed 40-0 in the game, but held his cool and came all the way back to force a tiebreaker, where Marques won 7-5. In the third set, the duo traded the lead back and forth. Once again the set was tied 5-5. From there, Marques held his serve and then broke Ayers one final time to win 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5.

In the final two matches, ECU continued to win tight games. On court five, Bissett topped Ryan Charles 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 while on court six, Ronny Georgi used a pair of tiebreakers to beat Erick Rivas 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1).

ECU will be back in action on Sunday afternoon when the Pirates host in-state rival UNC Asheville. First serve is scheduled for 12 noon inside the ECU Indoor Tennis Center.

Singles Results
1. Diogo Marques (ECU) def. Edward Ayers (George Mason) 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5
2. Vlad Anghel (ECU) def. Pally Ryan (George Mason) 6-3, 6-1
3. Wisse Jonker (ECU) def. Jakob Neilsen (George Mason) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
4. Javier Renones (ECU) def. Giuliano Buzoianu (George Mason) 6-1, 6-3
5. Ronny Georgi (ECU) def. Erick Rivas (George Mason) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1)
6. Will Bissett (ECU) def. Ryan Charles (George Mason) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5

Doubles Results
1. Ronny Georgi/Diogo Marques (ECU) vs. Jakob Neilsen/Edward Ayers (George Mason) 5-5, unfinished
2. Wisse Jonker/Vlad Anghel (ECU) def. Pally Ryan/Ryan Charles (George Mason) 6-4
3. Javier Renones/Simon Labbe (ECU) def. Giuliano Buzoianu/Erick Rivas (George Mason) 6-1

Match Notes
ECU 5-0
George Mason 0-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,3,4,1,6,5)
Time – 5:40; Attendance-92