Dukes Win First Sun Belt Match in Thriller with Georgia State

Friday, March 24

Harrisonburg, Va.

11 a.m.

James Madison University

Georgia State

Dukes Win First Sun Belt Match in Thriller with Georgia State

3/24/2023 6:09:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Freshman Aathreya Mahesh rallied in the final match to help James Madison earn its first Sun Belt Conference men's tennis victory with a 4-3 triumph against Georgia State on Friday afternoon at the East Campus Tennis Courts.

The Dukes improved to 8-6 on the year and 1-2 in Sun Belt play, while the Panthers fell to 3-12 and 0-2.

It was the second all-time meeting between the teams, and first in 13 years, as JMU walked off with its first victory against GSU.

Mahesh and Edson Sanchez each went 2-0, claiming wins in both doubles and singles, while Holden Koons also captured a victory in singles play.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Doubles Play

JMU won thrilling matches on courts two and three to snag the early 1-0 lead.
The Dukes earned the advantage on court two, as Julian Lozano and Sanchez nipped Ricardo Batista and Diogo Morais, 6-4.
On court three, the duo of Mahesh and Youssef Sadek came back to defeat Gabriele Datei and Edward Tymes, 6-4. The Dukes trailed early but leading 5-4, they broke the GSU tandem on a deuce-deciding point to clinch the match.
Over on court one, the bout between Koons and Francisco Sinopoli and Roberts Grinvalds and Diego Padilha went unfinished at 5-5.

Singles Play

The teams split the six matches, with the final two going to decisive third sets.
Koons doubled JMU's lead to 2-0 on court one, where he cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Grinvalds.
GSU evened the match with wins on courts three and two. Morais first held off a second-set surge from Sadek, winning the bout, 6-0, 7-6 (2), while Datei rallied from a set down to defeat Lozano, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
JMU regained the lead on court five, as Sanchez won a tough match against Tymes, 6-4, 6-3.
The Panthers tied things up at 3-3 with a three-set win on court four. Padilha overcame Sinopoli, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, winning each of the final five games.
On court six, Mahesh found himself down a set and trailing in the second before he stormed back for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 triumph versus Batista. In the third and final frame, he was down 3-2 before breaking his GSU foe twice and winning the final four games.

UP NEXT
JMU is back in action on Saturday, March 25 when its hots #69 Georgia Southern. The opening serve is set for 10 a.m. at East Campus Tennis Courts.