CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's tennis team battled through momentum swings and three-set grinders Friday afternoon at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center, earning a hard-fought 4-2 victory over New Mexico State on day one of the H-E-B Tournament of Champions.
The Islanders (11-1) secured the doubles point and then leaned on resilience across the singles lineup, winning two three-set matches to close out the contest in front of the home crowd.
The Islanders set the tone early in doubles.
Matthieu Coignet and
Mikel Garmendia controlled the top court with a 6-3 win, while
Ethan Dasset and
Josef Zapletal followed with a 6-4 decision at No. 3 to clinch the opening point. The No. 2 match, featuring
Etienne Marty and
Omar Suarez, was locked at 6-6 and went unfinished when the point was decided.
Singles play quickly turned into a test of grit. At No. 4, Marty delivered a composed 6-2, 6-4 victory to give the Islanders a 2-0 advantage. The match tightened at 2-2 with the Aggies claiming wins at No. 1 and No. 3.
Nicholas Niox Chateau swung the momentum back in the Islanders' favor in a thriller at No. 2. After taking the first set 6-4 and dropping the second 6-2, Niox dug in during a decisive third-set tiebreak, pulling away to seal a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4) victory and a 3-2 team lead.
Moments later, Zapletal put the finishing touch on the comeback effort at No. 6. He dominated the opening set 6-0, regrouped after dropping the second, and powered through the third 6-3 to clinch the dual match. Garmendia's match at No. 5 was left unfinished with the Islanders already celebrating the result.
The Islanders now lead New Mexico State 7-5 in the all-time series.
It opened the H-E-B Tournament of Champions with a bang, as the prestigious event is in its 62
nd year making it the longest running team tournament in the country. The Islanders will look got a second win in the great tournament Sunday at 10 a.m. against Louisiana.
Gallery: (2-20-2026) H-E-B Tournament of Champions - vs. NMSU
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 17 NCAA Tournaments
- 37 SLC Championships
- 4 Top-40 National Rankings
- 3.0 GPA 43 Straight Semesters
- Islanders have received a No. 3 seed at the NCAA Tournament three times
- Women's tennis has cracked the ITA top-75 national rankings three times
- Men's tennis has cracked the ITA national rankings 10 consecutive years
- Ranked nationally in NCAA DI as high as No. 35 for the men and No. 60 for the women
#ShakasUp
