OBU tennis team registered two wins in GAC

By Kervy Robles, Sports Editor

Oklahoma Baptist men’s tennis team hosted Ouachita Baptist University in a Great American Conference opening contest.

Freshman Kevin Andrusch was the first Bison to set advantage with a 6-1, 6-3 win.

“I am usually the first player to come out,” Andrusch said.

“For this reason, it is very important for the confidence of my team that I get the first win.”

Sophomore Lucas Castelo Branco defeated No. 2 single opponent 6-4, 6-4.

“The game turned out to be very difficult because of the wind and the determination of my opponent,” Castelo said.

“Although, the match was even for the most part, I dominated and got the win.”

Junior Luis Romero struggled to beat his rival and lost 3-2 in an unfinished match due to an injury.

Freshman Matias Le Fort won his match by 6-4, 6-0 extending the Bison’s advantage.

“After Luis [Romero] retired, they were trying to make a come back,” Le Fort said.

“I was not going to let my rival to beat me. The win brought a sort of confidence back to the team.”

Next, freshman Gianluca Galdi and junior Thomas Ackerknecht won their games 6-0, 6-0 and 6-2, 6-2, respectively.

“The match day came to a crucial momentum when we closed singles with two wins,” Ackerknecht said.

“At this point, we were superior to our rival and we dominated in doubles.”

The Bison swept in every single double competition. Andrusch and Galdi won 9-7 while Romero and Ackerknecht earned a victory with a 9-7 match as well.

Finally Castelo and Le Fort finished with a 8-2 win to give OBU a 8-1 overall victory Friday afternoon.

The next rival in agenda was No. 19 Southeastern Oklahoma State.

Andrusch earned the first single win with a 6-4, 6-3 match.

However, the visitors put the Bison in trouble when Castelo (6-7, 4-6), Romero (4-6, 4-6) and Le Fort (6-0, 2-6, 6-7) lost their respective singles games.

OBU reacted with two following victories in hands of Galdi (7-6, 7-6) and Ackerknecht (6-1, 7-5).

With a 3-3 score, the match day will be decided in double competitions where the Bison set clear superiority.

Andrusch and Galdi dominated 9-8 while Romero and Ackerknecht did not dissapoint with a 8-4 win.

Even though, Castelo and Le Fort struggled (6-8), OBU already sentenced the series with a 5-4 overall score for a bright Monday afternoon.

The Bison will travel and face GAC rival Harding University Saturday at 11 a.m. in Arkansas.

Featured photo by Kervy Robles.