The Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team earned its fifth-straight win behind a 4-3 victory over Mercer in Southern Conference action on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the UTC Tennis Center.
Following the victory, Chattanooga improves to 13-4 overall and begins SoCon action 3-0 for the first time since 2002. Mercer drops to 7-11 on the season and sees its league tally even at 1-1.
Chattanooga took a 1-0 lead after the doubles action after Kerim Hyatt and Kristof Kincses started things with a 6-1 victory at No.
2 before Gabriel Castillo-Sanchez and Cortland Grove clinched the team point with a 6-3 win at No. 3. Simon Labbe and Peyton Gatti earned a 6-3 win at No. 1 after the clinching moment occurred.
"I thought the doubles point was one of the best of the year and it proved to be the difference in the match," said head coach Chuck Merzbacher.
The Mocs grabbed a 2-0 lead in the match following a 6-4, 6-2 victory by Hyatt at the No. 1 singles position before Ryan Mudre upped the UTC lead to 3-0 following a 6-3, 6-3 decision in the No. 5 hole. Mercer got on the board with a win at No. 4 to cut its deficit to 3-1 with three matches still in progress.
Castillo-Sanchez provided the match-clinching moment for the second-straight match after posting a 6-4, 6-2 victory at the No. 3 slot of the lineup. Mercer earned a win at No. 2 due to retirement and a win at No. 6 in super tie-break fashion.
"Mercer competes very well, and our guys responded across the lineup," added Merzbacher.
"It's another team win, again with different spots getting their match. These kids just get to work out there."
Chattanooga returns to action on Saturday, April 1, when it hosts Furman in a key Southern Conference matchup at the UTC Tennis Center. First serve is slated for 12 p.m. ET with live stat links available on the schedule page at GoMocs.com.
Chattanooga 4, Mercer 3
3/26/2023 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (UTC Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) def. Mariano Argote (MER-M) 6-4, 6-2
2. Lucas Dini (MER-M) def. Simon Labbe (UTC) 6-3, 4-6, 2-2, retired
3. Gabriel Castillo (UTC) def. Nemanja Stefanovic (MER-M) 6-4, 6-2
4. Marceau Foulihoux (MER-M) def. Peyton Gatti (UTC) 7-6, 6-3
5. Ryan Mudre (UTC) def. Samuel MacLeod (MER-M) 6-3, 6-3
6. Samuel Barrow (MER-M) def. Cortland Grove (UTC) 7-5, 6-7, 11-9
Doubles competition
1. Simon Labbe/Peyton Gatti (UTC) def. Mariano Argote/Samuel MacLeod (MER-M) 6-3
2. Kerim Hyatt/Kristof Kincses (UTC) def. Andrew Branicki/Samuel Barrow (MER-M) 6-1
3. Gabriel Castillo /Cortland Grove (UTC) def. Nemanja Stefanovic/Marceau Foulihoux (MER-M) 6-3