Marques Da Silva Receives 4th ASUN POW Honor of Season
3/31/2021 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Rafael Marques Da Silva of the Liberty men's tennis team received his fourth ASUN Player of the Week distinction, it was announced Wednesday by the league office.
Marques Da Silva's honor gives the Flames four straight player of the week honors and nine total this spring. The rest of the conference has combined for only two ASUN Player of the Week awards in 2021.
Marques Da Silva won all four of his matches for Liberty (13-5, 3-0 ASUN), who went 2-0 last weekend. The second-year player from São Paulo, Brazil helped No. 43 Liberty to a 5-2 home win over No. 49 UNCW, last Friday. In doubles, he teamed up with Zion Heaven to defeat the Seahawks' Gabriel Hurtado and Leonard Sporovieri 6-3 on court two to clinch the doubles point. Playing in the No. 1 singles slot for the first time his Flames career, Marques Da Silva provided the Flames a 3-1 edge by topping Bruno Caula 7-6 (7), 6-3.
On Sunday at Bellarmine, Marques Da Silva and Muamba bested Emil B. Berglund and Michael Staff 6-1 in the No. 2 doubles match. The Flames won the doubles point in a 7-0 sweep. In singles, he bested Berglund in straight sets (6-2, 6-0) on court two.
Marques Da Silva holds a 12-3 doubles record this season, including a team-best 11-3 mark with Muamba. In singles, he leads the team with 13 wins and is 13-4. Since joining the team prior to the spring 2020 campaign, Marques Da Silva is 23-7 in singles and 14-5 in doubles.
Marques Da Silva and the Flames, who moved up to 40th in the nation in yesterday's Oracle/ITA Division I Men's Team Rankings, are in action this afternoon at No. 41 Duke. First serve is pegged for 3 p.m. at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
2021 ASUN Men's Tennis Player of the Week Honorees
Jan. 20 – Rafael Marques Da Silva, Liberty
Jan. 27 – Nicaise Muamba, Liberty
Feb. 3 – Josh Wilson, Liberty
Feb. 10 – Dominik Barton, North Florida
Feb. 17 – Nicaise Muamba, Liberty
Feb. 24 – Rafael Marques Da Silva, Liberty
March 3 – Alessandro Conca, FGCU
March 10 – Nicaise Muamba, Liberty
March 17 – Rafael Marques Da Silva, Liberty
March 24 – Deji Thomas-Smith, Liberty
March 31 – Rafael Marques Da Silva, Liberty
Congrats to Rafael Marques Da Silva on earning his 4?th @ASUNTennis Player of the Week distinction this season!??
— Liberty Men's Tennis (@LibertyMTennis) March 31, 2021
??: https://t.co/oS8mMsQp4m#WeBeforeMe #RiseWithUs #ASUNTennis pic.twitter.com/mevF9f01PE
