FLORENCE, SC – The Francis Marion University men's tennis team returned home on Sunday (Mar. 5) and defeated West Virginia Wesleyan College 4-3 behind the dramatic heroics of junior Leonel Gonzalez.
 
The Patriots, now 4-5, will remain at home for their next three matches, including a 2 p.m. match-up with Edinboro University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
 
In the men's contest on Sunday, FMU captured the doubles point to take a 1-0 advantage.  The two teams traded decisions in the first two doubles matches with Patriot sophomores Martin Barbera and Luis Lopez Sarasa winning at No.2 by a 6-2 count and the Bobcats taking the No.3 doubles match 6-2.  Patriot juniors Liam Day and Gonzalez clinched the doubles point with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-4) win in a tiebreaker at the top spot.
 
In singles play, West Virginia evened the match at 1-1 with a victory at position No.4.  Day then put Francis Marion ahead with a 6-3, 6-4 win at No.1 singles and Barbera followed with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) victory at No.2.  Barbera improved to a team-best 8-1 in singles play this season.
 
The Bobcats were victorious at No.5 to pull within 4-2, but Gonzalez clinched the match with a come-from-behind 1-6, 7-6 (11-9), 6-1 win at No.3 singles.  After losing the first set, Gonzalez trailed 3-0 in the second set and eventually faught off three match points in the marathon tiebreaker.  He then cruised to the third-set win, all-the-while the Bobcats were winning at No.6 singles to account for the final margin.

 
Men's Tennis Match Results
03/05/2023 at Florence, SC (Kassab Courts)
Francis Marion University 4, West Virginia Wesleyan College 3
Singles competition
1. Liam Day (FMU) def. Kihiro Karasawa (WVWC) 6-3, 6-4
2. Martin Barbera (FMU) def. Emanuel Mallya (WVWC) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)
3. Leonel Gonzalez (FMU) def. Camillo Salvi (WVWC) 1-6, 7-6 (11-9), 6-1
4. Kevin Lin (WVWC) def. Luis Lopez Sarasa (FMU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Jonathan Lindstrand (WVWC) def. Adam Ernberg (FMU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Anthony McIntosh (WVWC) def. Niklas Plath (FMU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Liam Day/Leonel Gonzalez (FMU) def. Camillo Salvi/Kevin Lin (WVWC) 7-6 (7-4)
2. Martin Barbera/Luis Lopez Sarasa (FMU) def. Kihiro Karasawa/Emanuel Mallya (WVWC) 6-2
3. Andreas Hald Dige/Anthony McIntosh (WVWC) def. Harri Lloyd-Evans/Adam Ernberg (FMU) 6-2
 
Match Notes:  West Virginia Wesleyan College 2-2
Francis Marion University 4-5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (4,1,2,5,3,6)