Troy, Ala.--The No.54-ranked Georgia State men's tennis team earned a 6-1 victory at Troy on Saturday to close its regular-season slate with a 19-4 record.
The Panthers, winners of their last three matches, now prepare for the CAA Championships beginning on Apr. 19. Georgia State enters the conference championship on winning streak for the third-consecutive season under head coach Chase Hodges.
"We are peaking at the right time, a 19-4 finish to the regular season is impressive," said Hodges, who earned his 55th win as head coach of Georgia State on Saturday. "We look forward to the CAA Championship next week."
Freshman Ismael Lahlou clinched Georgia State win with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory in the No. 4 singles match. It was the Casablanca, Morocco, native's fourth-straight singles victory. Lahlou improved to 15-5 this season in singles play with the win.
The Panthers' recent success in doubles continued, with the red-hot duo of junior Lucas Santana and freshman Jose Ortiz once again clinching the doubles point. The two earned an 8-5 victory in the No. 3 doubles match to give Georgia State the early 1-0 advantage against Troy (5-17).
Junior Victor Valente and senior Juan Pablo Gutierrez preceded Santana and Ortiz's clinching victory with an 8-6 win in the No. 2 doubles slot. It was the pair's fourth-straight doubles victory.
Sophomore Thomas Cook carried the momentum into singles play with a dominating 6-1, 6-0 win in the No. 3 singles match vs. Troy sophomore Jamie Eccleton. Cook improved to 10-1 this season when playing in the No. 3 singles slot and is now 8-2 in his last 10 singles matches. Santana was also efficient en route to a 6-1, 6-1 win in the No. 6 singles match to earn his 42nd career singles victory.
Following Lahlou's match-clinching win, Gutierrez took a 6-4, 6-4 match at No. 4 singles. Freshman Matias Hatem then capped an outstanding rookie year with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 1 singles vs. Troy's Anas Rouchdi. Hatem improved his singles record to 19-3 this year.
The Panthers now wait on their seed for the 2012 CAA Championships. Seeding for this year's tournament will be decided on Monday.
GSU is 2-0 against CAA opponents this season with a 6-1 win vs. Old Dominion on Jan. 21 and a 5-2 win vs. No. 37-ranked UNCW last weekend. Old Dominion went 3-3 in CAA play this season with wins vs. Delaware, James Madison and William & Mary. UNCW took a 6-1 win vs. Old Dominion in its only other CAA match.
Visit the men's tennis page on www.GeorgiaStateSports.com for all the latest news on the Georgia State men's tennis team's trip to the 2012 CAA Championships.
Singles:
1. Matias Hatem (GSU) def. Anas Rouchdi (TROY) 6-3, 6-3
2. Sami Ghorbel (TROY) def. Victor Valente (GSU) 7-6, 7-6 (7-5)
3. Thomas Cook (GSU) def. Jamie Eccleton (TROY) 6-1, 6-0
4. Juan Pablo Gutierrez (GSU) def. Patrick Eichler (TROY) 6-4, 6-4
5. Ismael Lahlou (GSU) def. Mansingh Athare (TROY) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2
6. Lucas Santana (GSU) def. Tadju Davies (TROY) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles:
1. Sami Ghorbel/Mansingh Athare (TROY) def. Matias Hatem/Thomas Cook (GSU) 8-5
2. Victor Valente/Juan Pablo Gutierrez (GSU) def. Tommy Cundy/Jamie Eccleton (TROY) 8-6
3. Lucas Santana/Jose Ortiz (GSU) def. Anas Rouchdi/Patrick Eichler (TROY) 8-5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (3,6,5,4,1,2)
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