Men's Tennis Drops Summit League Contest to Fort Wayne

Leathernecks close out regular season with three matches in three days

FORT WAYNE, IND. - The Western Illinois men's tennis team opened the final stretch of regular season play Friday (April 17) afternoon, as the Leathernecks squared off against Fort Wayne in Summit League action. The Mastodons got the best of Western, taking a 7-0 decision. With the result, WIU falls to 0-18 (0-6 Summit League) on the season while Fort Wayne moves to 13-11 (3-2).

"Today we faced a very competitive team in Fort Wayne," said head coach Mashiska Washington. "Our team is gaining a lot of experience with each match."

Western fell behind early in the match as the Mastodons opened the dual by sweeping the doubles point. Christoph Haertel and Nikola Pavlovic dropped a 8-3 decision at the top doubles spot. The duos of Surya Sawhney/Ross Smith (8-2) and Anthony TImberlake/Jacob Sanders (8-1) were unsuccessful in their doubles matches at the No. 2 and 3 positions, respectively.

In singles competition, Western could not force a comeback, as Fort Wayne took all six matches in straight sets. Haertel once again took to the top singles spot as he fell, 6-1, 6-2. Pavlovic (6-1, 6-3) could not collect a victory at No. 2 while Sawhney dropped at No. 3, 6-0, 6-1. Sanders (No. 4), Smith (No. 5), and Timberlake (No. 6) all fell by final scores of 6-0, 6-0.

Friday's match was the first of three matches in three days to conclude the regular season for the Leathernecks. Western will remain in Fort Wayne to take on Summit League foe South Dakota State in a neutral site match on Saturday, April 18. First serve is set for 2 p.m. (CT).

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Players Mentioned

Christoph Haertel: Senior

Surya Sawhney: Freshman

Jacob Sanders: Freshman

Nikola Pavlovic: Junior

Ross Smith: Junior

Players Mentioned

Christoph Haertel
: Senior

Surya Sawhney
: Freshman

Jacob Sanders
: Freshman

Nikola Pavlovic
: Junior

Ross Smith
: Junior