The Elon University men’s tennis team is still looking for their first win of the season following a 4-3 loss to Virginia Commonwealth University on Sunday, Feb. 8. Junior Robert Lindgren lost the deciding match at No. 3 singles to sink the Phoenix to its sixth straight defeat.
The Phoenix took the early lead by winning the doubles point. Seniors Stefan Fortmann and Brian Kowalski brushed past juniors Michal Voscek and Joseph Cohen 6-1 at No. 1 doubles. Soon after Senior Jordan Kaufman and redshirt-freshman Neal Port clinched the point with a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles over freshmen Antonio Batlle Rodriguez and Louis Ishizaka.
Sophomore Jacob Svensson retired at No. 6 singles early on to give Elon a 2-0 advantage, but VCU won four out of the next five singles matches to seal the victory.
Voscek defeated Fortmann at No. 1 singles in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. Then Fortmann’s doubles partner, Kowalski lost at No. 4 singles to sophomore Wilder Pimentel in straight sets 6-1, 7-5 to level the match at 2 apiece.
Cohen put VCU in the lead with a 7-5, 6-2 straight sets win over freshman Josh Luck at No. 2 singles.
Elon fought back to tie the match at 3 when senior Jordan Kaufman defeated Batlle Rodriguez 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) at No. 5 singles, but Lindgren fell to sophomore Catalin Fifea 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5) to give VCU the win.
The Phoenix will return home to start a 12 game home stand when they host Campbell University on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.