MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University's No. 3-ranked men's tennis team opened the season with a no-doubt performance in beating Gustavus Adolphus, 9-0, Friday at Buccaneer Tennis Center.
The Buccaneers needed only one third-set super tiebreaker in singles – a 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 11-9 win by newcomer
Dominik Haider over Andres Saenz at the No. 3 flight – to put this match away. And only two others – a 7-6, (7-4), 6-1 win for
Fabian Pronnet over Mitch Elofson at No. 4, and
Franco Echenique's No. 5 singles victory over Zach Ekstein by the same score – required first-set tiebreakers.
The NCAA Division III No. 14-ranked Golden Gusties (1-2) were playing their third match in Florida, including two on Friday.
Barry's
Ahmed Triki and
Fabian Groetsch were 8-2 winners over Motasem Al-Houni and Saienz at No. 1 doubles.
Renato Lombardi and
Kevin Sielmann beat Brad Entwistle and T. Connor Shives, 8-3, at No. 2 pairs. Haider and Echenique beat Ekstein and Elofson, 8-5, at the third flight.
Triki, who enters the spring ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II, soundly defeated the eighth-ranked player in Division III what with his 6-0, 6-1 win over Al-Houni at the top singles flight. Barry's
Nico Dreer, ranked No. 26, defeated the 35
th-ranked Entwistle by the same score at the No. 2 spot.
Ajdin Tahirovic, who along with Pronnet and Haider were playing their first college dual match, was a 6-4-6-2 victor over Shives at the No. 6 flight.
Barry plays St. Thomas (Fla.) at 3 p.m. Wednesday at home.
