TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The 20th ranked Florida State men’s tennis team (5-0, 0-0 ACC) earned their fifth victory in four days as they defeated FAU in the championship match of the Florida State Spring Invitational.
“It has been a long four days, but a good start for us,” said head coach Dwayne Hultquist. “I felt that we got a good performance from everyone today. Bryn and Enzo had a nice come from behind doubles win. Aziz and Lucas also had a nice come from behind doubles win as well. It was good to get the doubles point and the lead. We had a lot of competitive sets but we won them all and got a great start with Aziz and Lucas winning quick.”
“FAU has a really nice team and will probably end up in the rankings. I see them having a good opportunity to win their conference and be a team to make the NCAA Tournament.”
For the first time all season seniors Aziz Dougaz and Lucas Poullain stepped foot on the court for the Garnet and Gold. Less than 24 hours after winning a doubles futures titles Dougaz arrived in Tallahassee and won two more matches. He teamed up with Poullain in doubles to help clinch the doubles point over the Owls of FAU and then helped give the Noles a 3-0 lead after winning his singles match on court one.
“There was a huge effort on the part of Aziz,” said Hultquist. “To win a pro tournament this weekend and get back here in time to help us win two matches today is huge. His effort today was outstanding given the amount of tennis he played in a short amount of time.
After losing the first doubles match of the season Florida State was in a battle on courts one and three. After starting down 2-1, freshman Bryn Nahrung and junior Enzo Le Seguillon battled to tie things up at four on court three. The duo went on to win the final two games to tie the doubles point at one. Down 5-4 on court one, Dougaz and Poullain won the final three games to take the match on court one 7-5 and the doubles point.
The Noles quickly expanded their lead as Poullain picked up right where he left off a season ago and earned a dominating 6-2, 6-2 win on court two. Dougaz followed him up with a convincing victory of his own on court one 6-3, 6-1. Junior Alex Knaff wrapped things up with a 6-4, 6-4 win on court three.
Florida State will be back in action Friday, January 18 as they take on South Alabama at the Scott Speicher Memorial Tennis Center.
To keep up with the Seminoles, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, or keep up with the team on social media through Twitter (@FSU_MTennis), Facebook (/FSUMTennis), and Instagram (@FSU_MTennis).
#20 Florida State University 4, Florida Atlantic 0
Singles competition
- Aziz Dougaz (FS) def. Kirac Bekisoglu (FAU) 6-3, 6-1
- Lucas Poullain (FS) def. Jason Legall (FAU) 6-2, 6-2
- Alex Knaff (FS) def. Gabriel Sidney (FAU) 6-4, 6-4
- #84 Rana Roop Bhullar (FS) vs. Mehdi Laalej (FAU) 6-3, 4-3, unfinished
- Enzo Le Seguillon (FS) vs. Ignacio Garcia (FAU) 6-3, 4-6, 1-0, unfinished
- Chase Wood (FS) vs. A. Fernandez Horta (FAU) 7-5, 2-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
- Aziz Dougaz/Lucas Poullain (FS) def. Jason Legall/Ignacio Garcia (FAU) 7-5
- Kirac Bekisoglu/Gabriel Sidney (FAU) def. Alex Knaff/Sebastian Arcila (FS) 6-3
- Bryn Nahrung/Enzo Le Seguillon (FS) def. Mehdi Laalej/Thomas Guy (FAU) 6-4
Match Notes:
Florida Atlantic 2-0
Florida State University 4-0; National ranking #20
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,1,3)
