Elon Men’s Tennis Phoenix Comes Back to Beat James Madison 4-3

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Trailing by two with three singles matches remaining, Elon University men’s tennis battled through the deficit to defeat fellow CAA program James Madison 4-3 on Friday afternoon, April 6, at Hillside Courts.

“This was a good win for us under adverse weather conditions,” said Elon assistant coach Caesar Vargas. “Every conference match on the road is tough, and today was no exception. JMU deserves a lot a credit for competing hard until the last point under strong winds. We’re pleased with the way the guys came together, and we look forward to closing out our regular season schedule at home next week.”

THE RUNDOWN
After JMU (14-6) opened the day with a 2-0 lead thanks to a doubles win and a victory at No. 6 singles, Elon (13-7) answered by winning four of the remaining five singles contests to claim the win.

First, Mario Paccini took down Paul Mendoza at No. 1 with a 7-5, 6-2 triumph to cut the lead in half. After the Dukes went up 3-1 thanks to a win at No. 5, Kyle Frankel and Salvador Mijaresboth polished off three-set victories at Nos. 2 and 3 to tie the match at 3-all with Frankel beating Alvaro Arce Garcia 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 and Mijares topping Theophile Lanthiez 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Coming down to the final match on court, Camilo Ponce defeated Damon Roberts 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 at No. 4 to earn the 4-3 victory.

UP NEXT
With its road slate complete, Elon will host two more home matches on April 10 and April 11 against UNC Asheville and UNCG at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, before hosting the 2018 CAA Championships at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center from April 19-22.

Singles Results
1. Mario Paccini (ELON) def. Paul Mendoza (JMUM) 7-5, 6-2
2. Kyle Frankel (ELON) def. Alvaro Arce Garcia (JMUM) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
3. Salvador Mijares (ELON) def. Theophile Lanthiez (JMUM) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
4. Camilo Ponce (ELON) def. Damon Roberts (JMUM) 6-1, 5-7, 6-3
5. Pierre Kohler (JMUM) def. Felipe Osses-Konig (ELON) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
6. Gonzalo Adis Freer (JMUM) def. Jacob Bicknell (ELON) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1

Doubles Results
1. Theophile Lanthiez/Paul Mendoza (JMUM) vs. Mario Paccini/Neal Port (ELON) 6-5, unfinished
2. Alvaro Arce Garcia/Pierre Kohler (JMUM) def. Salvador Mijares/Louis Rico (ELON) 6-2
3. Gonzalo Adis Freer/Damon Roberts (JMUM) def. Taylor Foote/Camilo Ponce (ELON) 6-2

Elon 13-7
James Madison 14-6
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,1,5,2,3,4)