Sunday, February 26
Bethlehem, Pa.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
5
vs
2
LIU
Mountain Hawks Close Out Homestand With 5-2 Victory Over LIU
2/26/2023 5:20:00 PM | Men's Tennis
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – In the final match of it's 10-match season-opening homestand, the Lehigh men's tennis team defeated LIU 5-2 Sunday afternoon inside the Lewis Tennis Center. The Mountain Hawks swept the doubles point and added four singles victories to even their season record at 5-5.
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Doubles play began with Lehigh's top team of senior Jeremy Learner and junior Jordan Paul posting a 6-3 win over Philip Hilble and Alessandro Danna. Lehigh's No. 3 team of first-years Aristotelis Bezianis and Jackson Morash defeated Guilherme De Medeiros and Akhilindran Indrabalan 6-4 to clinch the doubles point. Sophomore Marc Blekhman and first-year Sean Jaeger made it a Lehigh sweep with a 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot.
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In singles play, Lehigh extended its lead to 2-0 when Learner won over Sergio Fernandez-Romera at No. 2 as Fernandez-Romera retired due to injury while down a set and trailing in the second set. Learner completed a 4-0 weekend combining singles and doubles results.
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Blekhman won 6-3, 6-2 of De Medeiros at No. 3 singles to push Lehigh's advantage to 3-0.
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LIU (0-9) picked up its first win at No. 4 as Danna won in straight sets over Paul.
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Lehigh clinched its win at the top singles flight as senior Matt Kleiman won in three sets over Hilble. Kleiman won the first set 6-3, dropped the second and then erased an early deficit in the third to win 6-3, clinching the match for the Mountain Hawks.
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The final two matches went to third-set, 10-point tiebreaks. Senior Michael Bukhalo picked up a win at No. 6, outlasting Danila Ishchanka 16-14 in the tiebreak.
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The Mountain Hawks will now be off until they head to Orlando, Fla., over spring break to face IUPUI on March 12 and James Madison on March 14.
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Lehigh 5, LIU 2
Doubles
1. Learner/Paul (Lehigh) def. Hilble/Danna (LIU) 6-3
2. Blekhman/Jaeger (Lehigh) def. Ishchanka/Indrabalan (LIU) 6-4
3. Bezianis/Morash (Lehigh) def. De Medeiros/Nergizoglu (LIU) 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
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Singles
1. Matt Kleiman (Lehigh) def. Philip Hilble (LIU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
2. Jeremy Learner (Lehigh) def. Sergio Fernandez-Romera (LIU) 6-2, 2-1, retired
3. Marc Blekhman (Lehigh) def. Guilherme De Medeiros (LIU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Alessandro Danna (LIU) def. Jordan Paul (Lehigh) 7-5, 6-4
5. Akhilindran Indrabalan (LIU) def. Jackson Morash (Lehigh) 7-5. 6-7 (5-7), 1-0 (10-7)
6. Michael Bukhalo (Lehigh) def. Danila Ishchanka (LIU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (5-7), 1-0 (16-14)
Order of finish: 2, 3, 4, 1, 5 ,6
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Doubles play began with Lehigh's top team of senior Jeremy Learner and junior Jordan Paul posting a 6-3 win over Philip Hilble and Alessandro Danna. Lehigh's No. 3 team of first-years Aristotelis Bezianis and Jackson Morash defeated Guilherme De Medeiros and Akhilindran Indrabalan 6-4 to clinch the doubles point. Sophomore Marc Blekhman and first-year Sean Jaeger made it a Lehigh sweep with a 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot.
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In singles play, Lehigh extended its lead to 2-0 when Learner won over Sergio Fernandez-Romera at No. 2 as Fernandez-Romera retired due to injury while down a set and trailing in the second set. Learner completed a 4-0 weekend combining singles and doubles results.
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Blekhman won 6-3, 6-2 of De Medeiros at No. 3 singles to push Lehigh's advantage to 3-0.
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LIU (0-9) picked up its first win at No. 4 as Danna won in straight sets over Paul.
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Lehigh clinched its win at the top singles flight as senior Matt Kleiman won in three sets over Hilble. Kleiman won the first set 6-3, dropped the second and then erased an early deficit in the third to win 6-3, clinching the match for the Mountain Hawks.
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The final two matches went to third-set, 10-point tiebreaks. Senior Michael Bukhalo picked up a win at No. 6, outlasting Danila Ishchanka 16-14 in the tiebreak.
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The Mountain Hawks will now be off until they head to Orlando, Fla., over spring break to face IUPUI on March 12 and James Madison on March 14.
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Lehigh 5, LIU 2
Doubles
1. Learner/Paul (Lehigh) def. Hilble/Danna (LIU) 6-3
2. Blekhman/Jaeger (Lehigh) def. Ishchanka/Indrabalan (LIU) 6-4
3. Bezianis/Morash (Lehigh) def. De Medeiros/Nergizoglu (LIU) 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
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Singles
1. Matt Kleiman (Lehigh) def. Philip Hilble (LIU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
2. Jeremy Learner (Lehigh) def. Sergio Fernandez-Romera (LIU) 6-2, 2-1, retired
3. Marc Blekhman (Lehigh) def. Guilherme De Medeiros (LIU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Alessandro Danna (LIU) def. Jordan Paul (Lehigh) 7-5, 6-4
5. Akhilindran Indrabalan (LIU) def. Jackson Morash (Lehigh) 7-5. 6-7 (5-7), 1-0 (10-7)
6. Michael Bukhalo (Lehigh) def. Danila Ishchanka (LIU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (5-7), 1-0 (16-14)
Order of finish: 2, 3, 4, 1, 5 ,6
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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