The UM men’s tennis team was back in action Tuesday for their final home match of the season, thrashing the Florida Atlantic Owls 4-1 at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center for their fourth straight team win.
Initially, the Canes (7-7, 4-4 ACC) looked shaky as they dropped two doubles matches to FAU (6-10).
First, FAU’s Alvaro Fernandez Horta and Finn Stodder started things up by beating Bojan Jankulovski and Stefan Milicevic 6-3. Building on that momentum, Kevin Huempfner and Hunter Robbins defeated UM’s Adria Soriano Barrera and Oren Vasser 6-4 on court 2, securing FAU’s first, and only, point.
Franco Aubone and Benjamin Hannestad of UM were leading Filip Krolo and Maxime Lapraille 5-4 before the doubles point was clinched, resulting in an unfinished match.
Down 0-1, the Canes turned the tables and stormed back, dominating the Owl’s in singles. To tie things up, Jankulovski defeated Kevin Huempfner in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. Hannestad then defeated Alvaro Fernandez Horta 6-4, 6-3 to give the Canes the lead, 2-1.
Looking to bounce back, FAU’s Finn Stodder frustrated Vasser in a tight first set that ended in a tiebreaker. Vasser barely squeaked by, and then destroyed Stodder in the second set to win the match 7-6 (7-4), 6-1.
With the chance to close out the day, Aubone snatched the final point by defeating Robbins 6-4, 6-4.
Before being suspended, the Canes were also leading the other two singles matches on courts 1 and 4.
No. 27 Soriano Barrera was leading Maxime Lapraille 7-5, 5-5, and Milicevic was in the midst of a battle, barely in front 1-6, 6-0, 3-1.
The Canes seek their fifth straight win in Chapel Hill this Friday when they play the No. 3 UNC Tar Heels at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.