Men’s tennis takes spring opener at AUM

(Photo/Troy Athletics)Junior Jorge Poyatos enters his junior season after a 2-6 overall singles record as a sophomore last season.Kennedy RoyStaff Writer The Troy men’s tennis team opened its 2020 spring season with a 6-1 victory over AUM Saturday afternoon in Montgomery. The win marks the second season in a row in which the team won its opening game. It’s also Troy’s second straight year defeating the AUM Warhawks as the teams battled early last season. Troy earned an opening win in doubles play as the No. 1 team of Oskar Michalek and Christopher Tasker earned a 6-4 victory. A doubles point was earned at the No. 3 position, as the duo of Manuel Bernard and Andy Romero also earned a 6-4 win. Antonio Selma picked up the first point for Troy in singles play at the No. 6 spot, defeating AUM’s Giovanni Bellio in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. Carles Anton and Michalek were the next two to finish, securing the Trojan victory. On court three, Anton earned his first career dual singles victory with a 6-2, 6-3 decision while Michalek earned the first match-clinching point of the year with his 6-3, 6-4 win. Javier Llinares earned his first win of the year at the No. 5 spot with a 6-2, 7-5 decision while Tasker earned the sixth point for Troy with a 7-6, 4-6 and 10-8 comeback victory. Next, Troy will continue its road trip when the Trojans head to Nashville Friday to take on the Belmont Bruins at 6 p.m. The Bruins have started their season with a pair of road losses to SEC teams: Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, and Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.