IRVINE, CALIF. --- Christophe Bergues (Leuville, France) and
Oscar Roman (Tampico, Mexico) pulled off a 9-8 victory at number
two doubles to boost the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's tennis
squad past tournament host #74 UC-Irvine, 5-2, in the semi-final
round of the Anteater Classic, Saturday afternoon. The Islanders
claimed the tournament title after #33 Brown defaulted the
championship match scheduled for Sunday.
In a tightly contested doubles round, A&M-CC received the
point taking two of three from the Anteaters. After Goncalo
Figueiredo (Lisbon, Portugal) and Luis Moris (Concepcion, Chile)
dropped an 8-3 decision at number one to the previously ranked duo
of Jonathan Endrikat and Brian Morton, Loren Collins (Dallas, Tex.)
and Eusebie Oprea (Bucharest, Romania) knotted the score at one
apiece with a 8-4 victory at number three.
Bergues and Roman clinched the doubles point for the Islanders
holding off Zoran Korac and Sean O'Conner at number two.
The top of the Islanders' order held strong clinching the victory
with wins at number one, two, and three singles. Figueiredo dumped
Korac 6-2, 6-2, while Moris downed O'Conner 6-1, 7-5. At number
one, UCI's Endrikat pushed Bergues to the limit. The senior bounced
back from losing the first set to post a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 victory.
Collins also won an extra-set battle for the Islanders. The
sophomore slipped past Greg Biorkman 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 icing the
Islander victory.
David Plasencia (Badagoz, Spain) fought back against Brian Morton
before falling 7-6, 6-7, 6-1, while Roman was stopped at number six
6-4, 7-6.
"We won this match with our doubles play," said Islanders head
coach Steve Denton. "We are winning the big points when it counts
and that is making a difference for us."
Due to Brown's default in the championship round, the tournament
schedule has been altered with the Islanders facing Illinois State,
Sunday, at 9 a.m.
#67 TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI 5, #74 UC-IRVINE 2
#1 #86 Christophe Bergues def. Jonathan Endrikat 4-6, 6-3, 7-6
#2 Goncalo Figueiredo def. Zoran Korac Jr. 6-2, 6-2
#3 Luis Moris def. Sean O'Conner 6-1, 7-5
#4 Brian Morton def. David Plasencia 7-5, 6-7, 6-1
#5 Loren Collins def. Greg Biorkman 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
#6 Peter Surapol def. Oscar Roman 6-4, 7-6
