University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team dropped a 4-3 nail-biter at Troy today.  The Mocs fall to 11-3 overall while the Trojans improved to 9-4 with their fourth win in a row. 

UTC dropped the doubles point when senior Simon Bustamante and sophomore Kerim Hyatt lost in a tiebreaker at No. 1.  Senior Niklas Gerdes and freshman Jeffrey Dewald were tied 6-6 and header to a breaker of their own when the point was decided.  Troy had already won the No. 2 match.

 "Super-hard-fought match down here in Troy," stated head Coach Chuck Merzbacher. "We played solid doubles and it wasn't enough for the point."
 
Gerdes lost for the first time in the spring at No. 1, falling to Pelayo Antuna (6-2, 6-3).  The Mocs got on the board with Bustamante's win at No. 5, and tied the score at 2-2 with senior Turner Voges win at No. 6.

"In singles, the guys fought their way back into it, with four first sets," added Merzbacher.  "Kerim battles to claim the second set and then we were in position to win. I am proud of the way we handled the adversity and road match and found a way to bring it all down to one match."
 
UTC actually took a 3-2 lead when sophomore Tomas Rodriguez won a second-set tiebreaker at No. 2 [6-0, 7-6 (2)]. Troy was able to secure the match by winning at No. 3 and No. 4 in three sets. 
 
"We really needed the bottom of the line-up today and Simon and Turner really took control of their matches," said Merzbacher. "Tomas, again, was composed and really played a smart match, to get the win at number 2."
 
Up next for the Mocs is a trip to Tennessee Tech on Sunday, March 1.  Match time is set for 2:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) in Cookeville, Tenn.  The next home dual is Friday, March 6, against Toledo at 2:30 p.m. at the UTC Tennis Center.
 
Troy 4, Chattanooga 3
02/28/2020 at Troy, Ala. (Lunsford Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. Antuna, Pelayo (TROY) def. Niklas Gerdes (UTC) 6-2, 6-3
2. Tomas Rodriguez (UTC) def. Anton, Carles (TROY) 6-0, 7-6 (7-2)
3. Michalek, Oskar (TROY) def. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
4. Llinares, Javier (TROY) def. Jeffrey Dewald (UTC) 5-7, 6-2, 7-5
5. Simon Bustamante (UTC) def. Tasker, Christopher (TROY) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1
6. Turner Voges (UTC) def. Selma, Antonio (TROY) 6-4, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Antuna, Pelayo/Anton, Carles (TROY) def. Kerim Hyatt/Simon Bustamante (UTC) 7-6 (7-2)
2. Tasker, Christopher/Romero, Andy (TROY) def. Tomas Rodriguez/Turner Voges (UTC) 6-2
3. Michalek, Oskar/Llinares, Javier (TROY) vs. Niklas Gerdes/Jeffrey Dewald (UTC) 6-6, unfinished

Match Notes
Chattanooga 11-3
Troy 9-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,5,6,2,3,4)