HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison overcame an early deficit, rallying in singles play to send off its seniors with a 4-2 victory against George Mason on Sunday afternoon at Hillside Courts.
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The Dukes (13-7) celebrated their two seniors prior to the opening serve in
Esteve Agusti and
Francisco Sinopoli, who each notched singles victories in the comeback win.
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Playing simultaneously with the JMU women, who also beat George Mason on Sunday, the Dukes fell behind early after Mason squeaked out the doubles point.
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Mason (9-6) grabbed a 6-3 win on court one, but JMU evened things on court two, as
Zach Fleishman and
Gur Libal downed Edgar Vilain and Niza Simunyola by a 6-4 margin. The Patriots clinched the point on court three with a 6-4 triumph.
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In singles play, using just three courts, JMU won two of the first three singles matches, squaring the bout at 2-2. Agusti capped off his home career with a dominant showing on court one, as he defeated Monil Lotlikar, 6-1, 6-1.
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The Dukes grabbed the lead briefly, at 2-1, as Sinopoli rallied from a set down to beat Ekansh Kumar, not conceding a single game in the third. He won the match by scores of 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
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George Mason evened things at 2-2, as Deniz Okyay battled back from a set deficit, pulling away in the third for a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over
Aurelien Schmitt.
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The Dukes regained the lead on court four, as
Ryan Morgan won a heated battle against Simunyola, earning a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory.
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Fleishman, the lone JMU player to win in doubles and singles Sunday, closed out the match with an impressive showing on court five, dispatching Vilain by a 6-3, 6-2 count. Elsewhere, Libal was a set up on Adria Franco on court six, leading that match, at 6-1, 4-4.
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JMU heads to Rome, Ga., next week for the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Men's Tennis Championship, which will be contested at the Rome Tennis Center from April 16-19. The Dukes' quarterfinal opponent (Apr. 17) will be announced on Monday by the league.
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