Jaguars defeated in rivalry tennis matchup

Brady Fitch photo Senior Carles Anton strides for a shot.

The No. 73 Troy men’s tennis team dominated South Alabama, 4-1, to down the in-state conference foe Saturday.

The Trojans started hot with big wins on the doubles’ courts in their first win over the Jaguars in seven years and eight matchups.

The recipe for success has been winning the doubles point, something the Trojans have done in nine of their last 10 games. Another pair of doubles wins continued the streak and helped to ensure another Troy home victory.

Mario Martinez Serrano and Luciano Alcocer improved their doubles’ record to an immaculate 11-0 this season with their 7-5 victory on court three.

Senior Carles Anton and Yeray Andres Pastor won their match 6-4 on court two to secure the doubles point as they moved to 8-1 as a duo this season.

No. 87 Martinez continued his stellar season by collecting yet another win 6-2, 6-2 to give Troy a 2-1 lead. The nationally ranked Martinez is now sitting at an astounding 20-1 this season on court one.

Junior Noah Martens kept things rolling with a 6-4, 6-4 victory for the Trojans on court three to increase the lead to 3-1. Martens is now an impressive 17-4 on the year, mostly from court three.

Anton battled out a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 three-set victory over South Alabama’s typical line one singles player Jack Clements to clinch the victory over the Jaguars.

The remaining matches went unfinished as the Trojans collected a crucial 4-1 victory over their Sun Belt Conference rivals.

The Trojans bolster their record to 4-2 in the Sun Belt and 11-1 at home this season. Troy also still holds the most total wins of any Sun Belt team with their excellent 17-4 overall record.

The Trojans will look to extend their two-match winning streak as they travel to play Augusta on Thursday, April 4 in a non-conference matchup. Then, the Trojans will face Georgia Southern and Georgia State on April 6th and 7th in two vital away Sun Belt matchups.