The No. 16 NC State men's tennis team (2-2) defeated the Charlotte (3-2) 6-1 on Friday to secure its second win of the season. The win is the Wolfpack's second victory of 2021 and its 13th straight win against the 49ers.
DOUBLES
The Wolfpack swept the 49ers in doubles play with no doubles pair dropping more than two games. No. 23 Alexis Galarneau and Robert Turzak started the string of Wolfpack wins strong, defeating Ben Wayand and Stefanos Savva 6-1.
Yannai Barkai and Rafa Izquierdo Luque also claimed victory, defeating Henry Lieberman and Leo Menezes 6-2. Tadas Babelis and Robin Catry followed shortly behind, sealing the doubles sweep with a 6-2 win over Olle Wallin and Ignasi de Rueda.
SINGLES
No. 7 Galarneau finished first in singles action, taking down Lieberman 6-2, 6-3. Izquierdo Luque followed Galarneau's win shortly with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Wayand.
Catry and de Rueda competed in an exciting back-and-forth matchup. After dropping the first set, Catry came away with the 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 win that additionally clinched the Wolfpack team victory.
Barkai competed in a close first set in which he overcame Wallin in a tiebreaker. In the end, Wallin pulled through 7-6(5), 3-6, 2-6 to seal the first and only point for Charlotte.
Martins Rocens claimed a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Menezes for NC State's fourth singles win of the day.
On the final singles court, Turzak was in a hard-fought match in which Savva claimed the first set in a tiebreaker, but Turzak finished out the match 6-7(3), 6-2, 1-0(8) to conclude a successful day of play for Wolfpack men's tennis.
STRAIGHT FROM THE PACK: HEAD COACH KYLE SPENCER
"I thought it was a good team win today," said head coach Kyle Spencer. "I thought we played pretty well in doubles, so I was happy with that. Then Charlotte came out and started the match very well, and we were able to turn the tide. Really good effort from the guys to wrestle away some of the early breaks that they were down.
"Looking forward to Sunday with a really tough match again against Tennessee. I'm excited. Our schedule is super strong this year as it always is and so these battles are very exciting, and I hope that we come away with a win."
RESULTS
No. 16 NC State 6, Charlotte 1
Doubles:
Order of Finish (2,3,1)
1. Tadas Babelis/Robin Catry (NC State) def. Olle Wallin/Ignasi de Rueda (Charlotte) 6-2
2. #23 Alexis Galarneau/Robert Turzak (NC State) def. Ben Wayand/Stefanos Savva (Charlotte) 6-1
3. Yannai Barkai/Rafa Izquierdo Luque (NC State) def. Henry Lieberman/Leo Menezes (Charlotte)
Singles:
Order of Finish (1,3,4,2,6,5)
1. #7 Alexis Galarneau (NC State) def. Henry Lieberman (Charlotte) 6-2, 6-3
2. Olle Wallin (Charlotte) def. Yannai Barkai (NC State) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2
3. Rafa Izquierdo Luque (NC State) def. Ben Wayand (Charlotte) 6-4, 6-4
4. Robin Catry (NC State) def. Ignasi de Rueda (Charlotte) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
5. Robert Turzak (NC State) def. Stefanos Savva (Charlotte) 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 1-0 (10-8)
6. Martins Rocens (NC State) def. Leo Menezes (Charlotte) 6-1, 6-1
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UP NEXT
NC State travels to 10th-ranked Tennessee for a rematch of its ITA Kickoff competition Feb. 7 at 1 p.m.
https://gopack.com/news/2021/2/5/mens-tennis-no-16-wolfpack-takes-down-charlotte-in-6-1-victory.aspx