GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College men's tennis team (5-8, 2-4 ODAC) faced a tough test at home on Friday afternoon, falling 6-1 to NCAA Division I opponent North Carolina Central University (14-5, 4-1 MEAC) at the Dorothy Ragsdale McMichael '37 Centennial Class Courts.
The Eagles came out swinging in doubles play, sweeping all three courts with aggressive net play and strong serving.
Andres Mercedes (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and
Brandon Hermes (West Hartford, Conn.) were unable to get much going at the top spot, dropping a 6-2 decision to Naresh Bharathy and Rodrigo Alves. On court two,
Henry Austin (Winterville, N.C.) and
Evan Wong (Greensboro, N.C.) fell by the same margin to Kareem Abdul Hakim and Oliver Saarinen. Rounding out doubles,
Rylan Tuten (Asheville, N.C.) and
Emmanuel Oye (Clayton, N.C.) showed some fight on court three but came up short in a 6-4 battle.
In singles action, Guilford showed flashes of resilience but ultimately couldn't match NCCU's depth. Mercedes highlighted the afternoon with a gritty comeback at No. 1 singles. After dropping the first set 6-2 to Abdul Hakim, he rallied to take the second 6-3 and edged out the match in a super tiebreak, 11-7, securing Guilford's only point of the day. Elsewhere, the Eagles proved too consistent. Hermes dropped his match at No. 2 in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, while Austin fell 6-2, 6-2 on court three. Tuten pushed Saarinen to three sets on court four, taking the first 7-5 before falling 6-3, 10-4 in the deciding frame. Wong battled but fell 6-4, 6-3 at No. 5, and Oye closed out the day with a 6-1, 6-1 loss at No. 6 singles.
With the loss, the Quakers will look to bounce back quickly as they continue ODAC play. Guilford returns to action on Saturday, April 13, hosting Virginia Wesleyan University at noon.
#GoQuakes
