Liberty University
Charlotte
No. 72 Liberty Edged by No. 49 Charlotte, 4-3
3/4/2022 7:04:25 PM | Men's Tennis
No. 49 Charlotte edged Liberty 4-3 on its home courts at the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex, Friday afternoon.
The 49ers improve to 6-4 overall on the year and 5-0 at home. Charlotte has won three straight matches. Meanwhile, the Flames drop to 3-6 in 2022 and are 1-4 in away matches.
With the match tied 3-3, the 49ers’ Abhimanyu Vannemreddy defeated the Flames’ Thando Longwe-Smit in three sets (7-5, 2-6, 6-3) to give the hosts the win.
#49 Charlotte 4, #72 Liberty 3
Singles Competition
- Thomas Brown (CLT) def. Nicaise Muamba (LIBERTYM) 6-3, 6-2
- Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) def. Mikhail Sokolovskiy (CLT) 6-3, 6-2
- Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) def. Stefanos Savva (CLT) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
- Coy Simon (CLT) def. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 6-3
- Abhimanyu Vannemreddy (CLT) def. Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
- Goncalo Ferreira (LIBERTYM) def. Vasco Prata (CLT) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Doubles Competition
- #45 Coy Simon/Stefanos Savva (CLT) def. Christiaan Worst/Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) 6-3
- Luke Thomson/Abhimanyu Vannemreddy (CLT) def. Goncalo Ferreira/Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) 6-3
- Thomas Brown/Vasco Prata (CLT) vs. Omar El Kadi/Nicaise Muamba (LIBERTYM) 5-4, unfinished
Liberty 3-6; National ranking #72
Charlotte 6-4; National ranking #49
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (2,1,4,6,3,5)
T-3:09
How It Happened
• Charlotte claimed the doubles point, and the two teams split the singles matches. The Flames’ singles victories came from their No. 2, No. 3 and No. 6 players.
• The 49ers’ early doubles success provided them a 1-0 edge. Their No. 2 unit, Luke Thomson and Vannemreddy, got things started with a 6-3 win over Liberty’s Goncalo Ferreira and Josh Wilson. Charlotte’s nationally-ranked doubles team, No. 45 Coy Simon and Stefanos Savva, knocked off reigning ASUN Doubles Pair of the Year Christiaan Worst and Deji Thomas-Smith 6-3 on court one to conclude the doubles session.
• Liberty’s Omar El Kadi saw his first dual match action as a Flame, competing at No. 3 doubles alongside partner Nicaise Muamba. The duo trailed Thomas Brown and Vasco Prata of the 49ers 5-4 before seeing their match go unfinished.
• The Flames’ Wilson was the first to wrap up a singles triumph, defeating Mikhail Sokolovskiy 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 2 slot. Wilson’s result evened the match at 1-all and was his team-leading 19th win of the year.
• Charlotte scored the next two points of the match on the strength of victories on courts one and four, respectively. Brown (No. 1) bested Liberty’s Muamba in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, followed by a two-set decision from Simon (No. 4), 6-4, 6-3, against the Flames’ Thomas-Smith.
• Trailing 3-1, the Flames bounced back to tie it 3-3. Liberty’s Ferreira won his first singles contest of the spring, doing so in comeback fashion versus Prata, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
• The Flames’ Worst improved to 2-0 in the No. 3 position in the lineup and 6-3 this spring with his three-set win against Saava (2-6, 6-3, 6-4).
• Vannemreddy’s aforementioned match clincher saw the Charlotte junior erase a 3-1 first set deficit to top Longwe-Smit 7-5 in that set. Longwe-Smit took the second set 6-2, but Vannemreddy built up a 5-2 lead in the third and held on to win 6-3.
• This is Charlotte’s first win against Liberty since 2013. The Flames topped the 49ers in the two most recent meetings, both held in 2021. Liberty is 3-2 all-time against Charlotte.
• Liberty sees its record drop to 1-3 in matches decided by one point, this season.
• Liberty falls to 0-5 in matches in which they have dropped the doubles point.
• Seven of the Flames’ nine matches this year have been against teams who are currently nationally ranked.
Next Up
• Liberty will play at Georgia State (6-5), Sunday morning. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the GSU Clarkston Tennis Courts in Atlanta, Ga.
• The Flames and Panthers squared off for the first time in 2021. Liberty topped Georgia State 6-1 in that match in Lynchburg.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,4,6,3,5