JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team dropped a hard-fought 5-2 decision to No. 68 ETSU in Southern Conference Action on Sunday afternoon in Johnson City, Tenn.
 
Following the loss, Chattanooga falls to 5-14 overall and 3-2 inside SoCon play. ETSU improves on its impressive season tally and now sits at 14-5 overall and 4-0 in the league.
 
"This was a very close and intense match from the first point. A tightly contested doubles point flowed into battles in singles," said head coach Chuck Merzbacher.
 
"At one point, there was a chance to turn the match with Tomas and Simon in the third set of singles. These guys never backed down all day – it was a tough dual match."
 
UTC fell just short in the opening doubles round as Kerim Hyatt and Kaisei Kuroki posted a 7-6 (8-6) tiebreaker win while the other two tandems dropped tight 6-3 and 7-5 decisions.
 
In singles, Peyton Gatti cruied to a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 4 before Hyatt picked up a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) win to keep the match alive at the No. 2 slot. The Mocs couldn't find victories in the remaining singles matches before ultimately falling to ETSU.
 
Chattanooga returns to action on Saturday, April 9 when it hosts Southern Conference foe Samford at the UTC Tennis Center. The match is slated for a 12 p.m. ET start. Match coverage links, when available, will be located on the schedule page.
 
#68 ETSU 5, Chattanooga 2
4/3/2022 at Johnson City, Tenn. (Dave Mullins Tennis Complex)
 
SINGLES
1. Dimitri Badra (ETSU) def. Tomas Rodriguez (UTC) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
2. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) def. Yusuf Khamis (ETSU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Frazier Rengifo (ETSU) def. Simon Labbe (UTC) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
4. Peyton Gatti (UTC) def. Hugo Lobo (ETSU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Juan S. Zabala (ETSU) def. Jordan McClure (UTC) 6-1, 6-2
6. Thiago Pernas (ETSU) def. Ryan Mudre (UTC) 6-0, 7-6 (7-3)
 
DOUBLES
1. Juan S. Zabala/Frazier Rengifo (ETSU) def. Tomas Rodriguez/Peyton Gatti (UTC) 6-3
2. Kerim Hyatt/Kaisei Kuroki (UTC) def. Dimitri Badra/Francisco Lamas (ETSU) 7-6 (8-6)
3. Juan Lombisano/Thiago Pernas (ETSU) def. Simon Labbe/Jordan McClure (UTC) 7-5
 
MATCH NOTES
Chattanooga 5-14, 3-2
ETSU 14-5, 4-0; National ranking #68
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,6,4,2,3,1)

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