Box Score MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—The seventh-ranked Barry Buccaneers rallied from a 2-1 doubles deficit to topple the ninth-ranked Lynn Knights 5-4 in Sunshine State Conference men's tennis action at the Buccaneer Tennis Center on Sunday.
The Knights (14-6, 4-2 SSC) grabbed the early lead by winning at two and three doubles, by identical 8-4 scores. The Bucs' lone point came from the fourth-ranked pair of Ahmed Triki and Renato Lombardi at number one. They bested the Knights' 25th-ranked tandem of Daniel Riggs and Ethan Itzkovitz 8-3.
Needing four singles points, the Bucs (13-5, 5-2 SSC) came up with the needful scores. The Bucs knotted the match right out of the gate when Lynn's Riggs went down 3-0 to Triki at number one and then retired.
Nico Dreer gave the Bucs a momentary lead at 3-2 with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Laalej at number two, but Jose Porfirio bounced Victor Ravier 6-3, 6-4 at number six to knot things back up.
Daniel Ventura made it 4-3 for Barry with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Itzkovitz at number five, leaving two matches on the court.
Needing both to win, the Knights pulled out a three-set grind at number four as Jean Baptist Mateo out-dueled Lombardi 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 to tie the match back up at 4-4.
The final match, at number three singles, featured the only matchup of ranked opponents as Barry's #33-ranked Fabian Pronnet took on Lynn's 19th-ranked Pavel Mojha. After dropping the first set 6-3, Pronnet stormed back to win the last two sets 6-2, 6-3 to give the Bucs the team win.
The win clinches the second seed in the SSC Tournament, hosted by the University of Tampa Thursday, April 28th through Saturday, April 30th at Hillsborough Community College. The Bucs will face the Eckerd Tritons in the first round.
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