The Florida Gulf Coast University
men’s tennis was productive this weekend
at home, taking first in both singles and
doubles at the Fall Invitational. The team
managed to pick up 14 singles wins and
five doubles wins in the three-day event.
One of those doubles win included
a championship victory by junior Jordi
Vives and junior Tianyu Bao. They
defeated NCAA D-II national contenders
Ahmed Tricki and Fabian Groetsch from
Barry University 8-6.
“Our chemistry is what makes us so
good together and helps us a lot. We play
with discipline and we work really hard,”
Bao said.
The match started off close, with
each of the teams winning its respective
serves. At one point, the Bucs led 6-5 and
Bao was set to serve next, looking to win
a point for the Green and Blue and tie it
up. After falling behind 0-30, the Eagles
came back to win the point after scoring
four unanswered. Bao and Vives broke
Groetsch’s serve to lead the match.
With momentum on their side and
Vives’ serve next, the Eagles were able to
put away the Bucs and finish victoriously.
“We showed great energy that match,
and we were really playing great together
during the whole tournament,” Vives said.
The one hundred-plus fans in
attendance on Sunday were given an
opportunity to watch a rare matchup;
FGCU vs. FGCU in the singles
championship. After resting, Bao and
Vives returned to the court, this time on
opposite sides of the net.
“It’s always a tough match playing
someone from your team. You know each
other well and you know what the other
will do in certain situations,” Vives said.
“It’s one of those matches were if you win,
you don’t feel bad.”
Bao started off strong in the Eagles’
dual, taking the first set 6-4. Vives came
back strong and led the second set 4-1.
Making a comeback to take the lead was
Bao, ahead 5-4. Vives tied the match up
at five games each after breaking Bao’s
serve. After going back and forth to force
a tiebreaker, Vives came out on top, taking
the second set. The momentum carried on
for Vives as he claimed the last and final
set, 6-1, and won the match.
“We were both playing so focused and
spreading the points during the beginning
of the match. I was waiting for my moment
to come, and when I got my first chance
to take the lead, I did,” said Vives. “Only
a couple points made the difference in the
match, but at the end of the day, FGCU
won.”
With fall tennis coming to a close
soon, the Eagles are starting to prepare
for their winter matches. “We are looking
forward to continue to work hard. There’s
only two weeks left of fall, and we want to
finish strong. The team is ready for the
adversity, and we are striving to overcome
it,” said senior captain Lance Lvovsky.
Photo caption: Tianyu Bao plays with passion as he clinches the win and secures his spot in the
 nals of the invitational.