The Loyola Marymount University men's tennis team finished a trip to Little Rock, Arkansas, 1-2 in three dual matches the weekend of Feb. 9. They are 1-4 on the season.
The Lions opened the trip to the University of Arkansas-Little Rock against Belmont University on Friday, Feb. 9. Using strong play in the bottom half of the Lions' single play, LMU was able to earn its first win of the season. Johannes Asuja, Beau Berglund and Iman Nilipour, the number four through six singles players, all earned wins for the Lions.
Asuja, a sophomore from Kellokoski, Finland, recorded a 6-2, 6-1 win in number four singles over Ryan Brown. The win set the stage for Berglund in number five singles, who worked hard for a three-set win. He defeated Matt Fitzpatrick 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Nilipour went onto finish the singles competition with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Matteo Triacca, which tied the dual match at three wins each.
The Lions would claim the win with a sweep in doubles action, winning in all three pairings. Carsten Bitschkus and Leopold Graeubig combined for a 8-3 win in number one singles, and Asuja and Berglund earned a 8-4 win in number two singles. Erik Nelson-Kortland and Nilipour won on a retired match.
On Saturday, Feb. 10, the Lions took on the University of Texas-Arlington. Unlike the prior day, the Lions were swept, and suffered a 7-0 loss. The bright spot in the match came in number two doubles, as Asuja and Berglund won their second match in as many days, 8-6.
LMU closed the weekend out against the host, Arkansas-Little Rock. Opening the match with a win was number one singles player Graeubig, who defeated Mariano Pettigrosso, 6-3, 6-3. Asuja continued to have a solid weekend, moving from number four singles to number three. He earned his second singles win of the trip, defeating Juan Carlos Baca, 4-6, 6-1, and 6-2.
However, the Lions fell to Arkansas-Little Rock 5-2. In number two singles, Bitschkus jumped out to a 6-0 win in game one, but fell in heartbreaking fashion in the nest two. He dropped game two 6-4, and a 7-6 tiebreaker in five.
-GO LIONS-
