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Sunday, January 21
Lynchburg, Va.
12:00 PM ET
Liberty University
7
vs
0
Radford
Flames Grab Back-to Back Wins in Sunday Doubleheader
1/21/2024 8:34:00 PM | Men's Tennis
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty Men's tennis team dominated in its doubleheader on Sunday, sweeping Radford 7-0 to kick off the day and topping George Mason 6-1 to finish it.
Liberty did not drop a single doubles match on the day and dropped just three sets across all singles matches.
The Flames saw three players, Rafael Marques Da Silva, Rodrigo Santiago Arraez and Chase Robinson, go 2-0 singles and 4-0 overall for the day. Santiago has hit the ground running with the Flames. The freshman has yet to drop a single match in three matches of competition since joining Liberty this month.
Two others, Chase Robinson and Romeo Hadzimehmedovic (Liberty debut), picked up their first career spring singles wins.
Liberty improves to 11-30 against the former Big South foe, Radford and improves to 6-0 against George Mason.
Thoughts from Head Coach Derek Schwandt
"Great day with the guys. They enjoyed themselves, played as a team with the opportunity to represent on their home courts and they took full advantage of it. It's early in the season and it's great to see a hungry and humble team."
"We tell the guys, 'It doesn't have to be pretty'. The ability to reset and respond when things don't go right is the biggest thing for a tennis player. Romeo worked his way through that match, a very positive finish. Chase getting his first two singles wins, he's one of our hardest workers so it was good to see him get rewarded."
Liberty 7, Radford 0
Singles Competition
1. R Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. SEVERIN, Guilherme (RAD) 6-4, 6-0
2. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) def. HAGEN, Robert (RAD) 6-1, 6-3
3. Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) def. COURTEAU, Charles (RAD) 6-1, 6-1
4. Matija Samardzic (LIBERTYM) def. EDWARDS, Evan (RAD) 6-2, 6-1
5. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. MARANGONI, Filippo (RAD) 5-2, retired
6. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. VERGINE, Manfredi (RAD) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Thando Longwe-Smit/R Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. SEVERIN, Guilherme/COURTEAU, Charles (RAD) 6-3
2. Deji Thomas-Smith/Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) vs. HAGEN, Robert/MARANGONI, Filippo (RAD) 3-4, unfinished
3. Matija Samardzic/R Hadzimehmedovic (LIBERTYM) def. VERGINE, Manfredi/EDWARDS, Evan (RAD) 6-1
Radford 0-1
Liberty 1-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (5,3,6,1,2,4)
Official: R..Sanders T-1:55
Radford
Liberty 6, George Mason 1
Singles Competition
1. R Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. Monil Lotlikar (MASON) 7-5, 6-2
2. Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) def. Niza Simunyola (MASON) 6-0, 6-1
3. Jacco Arends (MASON) def. Matija Samardzic (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
4. R Hadzimehmedovic (LIBERTYM) def. Momin Khan (MASON) 6-3, 7-5, 1-0 (10-3)
5. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. Alvaro Pedraza (MASON) 6-1, 6-1
6. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. Zavan Fahim (MASON) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. R Hadzimehmedovic/Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) vs. Monil Lotlikar/Niza Simunyola (MASON) 4-3, unfinished
2. Thando Longwe-Smit/R Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. Jacco Arends/Alvaro Pedraza (MASON) 6-3
3. Luis Felipe Miguel/Matija Samardzic (LIBERTYM) def. Hayden Postin/Momin Khan (MASON) 6-3
George Mason 0-2
Liberty 2-1
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (2,5,6,1,4,3)
Official: Lunsford, Rosh T-2:36
George Mason
Liberty comes back for a second doubleheader on Saturday as the Flames take on James Madison and Longwood from the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center. First serve is set for noon against James Madison and 5:30 to take on Longwood.
Liberty did not drop a single doubles match on the day and dropped just three sets across all singles matches.
The Flames saw three players, Rafael Marques Da Silva, Rodrigo Santiago Arraez and Chase Robinson, go 2-0 singles and 4-0 overall for the day. Santiago has hit the ground running with the Flames. The freshman has yet to drop a single match in three matches of competition since joining Liberty this month.
Two others, Chase Robinson and Romeo Hadzimehmedovic (Liberty debut), picked up their first career spring singles wins.
Liberty improves to 11-30 against the former Big South foe, Radford and improves to 6-0 against George Mason.
Thoughts from Head Coach Derek Schwandt
"Great day with the guys. They enjoyed themselves, played as a team with the opportunity to represent on their home courts and they took full advantage of it. It's early in the season and it's great to see a hungry and humble team."
"We tell the guys, 'It doesn't have to be pretty'. The ability to reset and respond when things don't go right is the biggest thing for a tennis player. Romeo worked his way through that match, a very positive finish. Chase getting his first two singles wins, he's one of our hardest workers so it was good to see him get rewarded."
Liberty 7, Radford 0
Singles Competition
1. R Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. SEVERIN, Guilherme (RAD) 6-4, 6-0
2. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) def. HAGEN, Robert (RAD) 6-1, 6-3
3. Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) def. COURTEAU, Charles (RAD) 6-1, 6-1
4. Matija Samardzic (LIBERTYM) def. EDWARDS, Evan (RAD) 6-2, 6-1
5. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. MARANGONI, Filippo (RAD) 5-2, retired
6. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. VERGINE, Manfredi (RAD) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Thando Longwe-Smit/R Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. SEVERIN, Guilherme/COURTEAU, Charles (RAD) 6-3
2. Deji Thomas-Smith/Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) vs. HAGEN, Robert/MARANGONI, Filippo (RAD) 3-4, unfinished
3. Matija Samardzic/R Hadzimehmedovic (LIBERTYM) def. VERGINE, Manfredi/EDWARDS, Evan (RAD) 6-1
Radford 0-1
Liberty 1-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (5,3,6,1,2,4)
Official: R..Sanders T-1:55
Radford
- Liberty dominated the doubles round, highlighted by Romeo Hadzimehmedovic and Matija Samardzic securing his first-ever collegiate win with a 6-1 rout of Manfredi Vergine and Evan Edwards.
- The Flames clinched the doubles point with the No. 1 pair of Rafael Marques Da Silva and Thando Longwe-Smit ousting Guilherme Severin and Charles Courteau 6-3.
- Rodrigo Santiago Arraez won his match after his opponent, Filippo Marangoni, was forced to retire due to an injury. Santiago improved 2-0 at the time.
- Longwe-Smit dominated his match on court three as the senior blazed past Courteau 6-1, 6-1.
- Chase Robinson clinched the match on court six for the Flames as he topped Manfredi Vergine for his first career spring victory.
- Marques Da Silva cruised for a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Severin in the No. 1 singles match.
- Thomas-Smith bested Hagen in a battle on court two, 6-1, 6-3.
- To end the day, Samardzic picked up his first career singles spring victory, topping Edwards 6-2, 6-1.
Liberty 6, George Mason 1
Singles Competition
1. R Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. Monil Lotlikar (MASON) 7-5, 6-2
2. Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) def. Niza Simunyola (MASON) 6-0, 6-1
3. Jacco Arends (MASON) def. Matija Samardzic (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
4. R Hadzimehmedovic (LIBERTYM) def. Momin Khan (MASON) 6-3, 7-5, 1-0 (10-3)
5. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. Alvaro Pedraza (MASON) 6-1, 6-1
6. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. Zavan Fahim (MASON) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. R Hadzimehmedovic/Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) vs. Monil Lotlikar/Niza Simunyola (MASON) 4-3, unfinished
2. Thando Longwe-Smit/R Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. Jacco Arends/Alvaro Pedraza (MASON) 6-3
3. Luis Felipe Miguel/Matija Samardzic (LIBERTYM) def. Hayden Postin/Momin Khan (MASON) 6-3
George Mason 0-2
Liberty 2-1
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (2,5,6,1,4,3)
Official: Lunsford, Rosh T-2:36
George Mason
- Liberty jumped out ahead for a crucial doubles point with a 6-3 win on court two as Longwe-Smit and Marques Da Silva topped Jacco Arends and Alvaro Pedraza.
- Miguel and Samardzic clinched the doubles point with another 6-3 win, besting Hayden Postin/ Momin Khan in the No. 3 doubles match.
- Miguel exploded for a quick singles victory on court two, dominating Niza Simunyola 6-0, 6-1.
- Santiago continued his hot start to 2024, cruising by Pedraza 6-1, 6-1 on court five. The freshman improved to 3-0 in singles to start his Liberty career.
- The Flames clinched the match on court six with Chase Robinson taking down Zavan Fahim 6-3, 6-3.
- Marques Da Silva tussled with Lotlikar in the first set of the No. 1 singles match, but he found his groove in the second to win 7-5, 6-2.
- In his first career singles match, Hadzimehmedovic pushed through multiple unforced errors and came back to best Khan on court four with a 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-3) triumph.
- In the final match of the day, Samardzic battled through adversity but ultimately fell to Arends 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, in the No. 3 singles match.
Liberty comes back for a second doubleheader on Saturday as the Flames take on James Madison and Longwood from the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center. First serve is set for noon against James Madison and 5:30 to take on Longwood.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
1
SEVERIN, Guilherme/ COURTEAU, Charles [RAD]
3
6
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1
#1 Singles Match
12
SEVERIN, Guilherme / 0 [RAD]
40
66
#2 Singles Match
12
HAGEN, Robert / 0 [RAD]
13
66
#3 Singles Match
12
COURTEAU, Charles / 0 [RAD]
11
66
#4 Singles Match
12
EDWARDS, Evan / 0 [RAD]
21
66
#5 Singles Match
12
MARANGONI, Filippo / 0 [RAD]
20
5WR
#6 Singles Match
12
VERGINE, Manfredi / 0 [RAD]
13
66
Order of Finish:
5,3,6,1,2,4
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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