Men’s Tennis Wraps Perfect Home Slate with Senior Day Win

Friday, March 29

Boca Raton, Fla.

2:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

Brown

3/29/2019 5:00:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Prior to the home finale, the Florida Atlantic University men's tennis team celebrated seniors Mehdi Laalej and Gabriel Sidney. Tied 1-1 in doubles, the duo paired together on the No. 2 court to clinch the match's first point. Up 3-1, Laalej then posted the winner at No. 3 singles and stretched the Owls' win streak to seven in a row, topping Brown on Friday afternoon.

Notables:

Brown took the first doubles point, but No. 68 Jason Legall and Ignacio Garcia pulled off a comeback victory, 7-5
Similarly at No. 2, Laalej and Sidney were tied at 5-5, broke their counterparts (ranked No. 78 nationally) flawlessly on the next-to-last point, and took the match on Laalej's serve for another 7-5 win
The Bears momentarily tied it with the first singles victory, but No. 5 Alvaro Fernandez Horta pushed the Owls back ahead by a straight-set 6-4, 6-2 score
Kirac Bekisoglu won his match at No. 2 in a second-set tiebreaker, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6)
Then it was up to Laalej, winning his 13th straight singles match of the year, 6-1, 6-4
For the team, the Friday win marked a perfect 9-0 slate at the FAU Tennis Complex

Quotable
Head Coach Ricardo Gonzalez:
"Being undefeated at home was one of our team goals this year. Our boys did a phenomenal job fighting for this.

"Today was a tough test for us against a very good Brown team. We went down early in doubles and faced three match points at No. 1. Very proud of the way Jason (Legall) and Nachi (Ignacio Garcia) kept their composure during this time to turn their match around and come up with a win.

"The clinching point for doubles couldn't have finish in a better way having our two senior captains clinch such an important point for us. This is a special day that they will never forget. I am so happy for them.

"One thing we could've done better as a team was to close out matches when we had the opportunity. We slowed down a little bit and Brown took advantage of it."

Gabriel Sidney:
"Today it was another great match at home and an awesome Senior Day for Mehdi and I. It was great to clinch the doubles point in our last game playing together at home with all of our friends watching and cheering for us! I will take great memories with me from these two years playing at these courts. Very happy with the win, but we've got to keep working hard for some important away games in the next few days!"

Mehdi Laalej:
"Today's match was very special. I felt emotional when I realized that this was the last time I would compete on the FAU courts. I am grateful that I was able to share my Senior Day with my teammates and coaches with another important win at home. Staying undefeated the whole year on our home courts was not an easy task and I am extremely happy for everyone who has been a part of this program."

Full Results:
FAU 4, Brown 1
Doubles
1. #68 Jason Legall/Ignacio Garcia (FAU) def. Ching Lam/Jacob Walker (BROWN) 7-5
2. Mehdi Laalej/Gabriel Sidney (FAU) def. #78 Charles Tan/Roger Chou (BROWN) 7-5
3. Peter Litsky/Teddy van Eck (BROWN) def. Kirac Bekisoglu/Thomas Guy (FAU) 6-2

Singles
1. Jason Legall (FAU) vs. Peter Litsky (BROWN) 6-0, 6-7 (6-8), 1-2, unfinished
2. Kirac Bekisoglu (FAU) def. Ching Lam (BROWN) 6-1, 7-6 (8-6)
3. Mehdi Laalej (FAU) def. Roger Chou (BROWN) 6-1, 6-4
4. Jacob Walker (BROWN) def. Gabriel Sidney (FAU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Alvaro Fernandez Horta (FAU) def. Charles Tan (BROWN) 6-4, 6-2
6. Luis Fernandez Labarta (FAU) vs. Robert Siniakowicz (BROWN) 6-2, 3-6, unfinished

What's Next:
With the home slate wrapped, the Owls have one more match this weekend, in Orlando at No. 33 UCF Sunday night at 6 p.m. Then it's three on the road (at one site, in Charlotte, April 5-7), then the 2019 Conference USA Championship (April 19-21 in Murfreesboro).