ROME, Ga. – After a strong start in doubles play, the fifth-seeded North Carolina Central men's tennis team concluded its season with a 4-1 loss to fourth-seeded Chattanooga in the quarterfinals of the UTR Sports NIT Championship at the Rome Tennis Center on Wednesday evening.
The Eagles earned victories at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to secure the opening point of the match. Leo Fortier-Gariepy and Pol Puig Montiel set the tone with a 6-2 win at the No. 3 spot. After the Mocs claimed the No. 2 doubles match, Rodrigo Alves and Kareem Abdul Hakim sealed the doubles point for NC Central with a 6-4 victory at the No. 1 position.
NC Central battled throughout singles play, with several sets extending deep into competition. Santiago Pinna dropped a hard-fought 7-5 second set at No. 4 singles, while Rodrigo Alves fell 7-6 after a first-set tiebreak at the No. 2 position before his match went unfinished tied at four games in the second. Naresh Bharathy also suffered a 7-6 set loss at No. 1 singles. Abdul Hakim forced a third set after taking the second, but his match was left unfinished as Chattanooga clinched with victories at No. 1, 4, 5 and 6 singles.
NCCU finishes the season with a 13-9 overall record, marking its second consecutive campaign with more than 10 wins.
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