REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Tennis team battled in the heat Friday afternoon falling 4-0 to Azusa Pacific University inside the Verdieck Tennis Center.

The Bulldogs started off slowly in doubles but started to pick up the heat towards the end of their sets with both matches at No. 2 and No. 3 going to tiebreakers. However, only the No. 3 duo of Jack Hinkle (Bountiful, UT) and Mateen Ghafarshad (Claremont, CA) were able to pull out a victory, winning 7-6. The No. 2 team of Samuel Parsons (Leamington Spa, England) and Cooper Whittington (Lake Oswego, OR) would fall 7-6.  The other match occurred at No.1 from Vitomir Petcov (Portland, OR) and MJ Abarca (San Diego, CA) who were broken late, falling 6-4. This put the Cougars up early, 1-0. 

The match was played to "clinch," or the first team to reach four points first. This meant that the Cougars needed three more wins in singles to take the match. Unfortunately, they were successful in this feat. Getting three points coming at No. 4 as Hinkle would fall in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, at No.1 with Petcov falling 6-1, 7-6, and then at No. 2 as Gustavo Marcanth (Redondo Beach, CA) would get broken in each set at 6-4, 6-4.  

As time was the main factor for a clinch, this left three singles matches unfinished. No.5 William Pullin (Peachtree City, GA) was up a set and battling in the second stopping at 6-4, 3-4. Similarly, Abarca at No. 3 was on a comeback being up in the second set when time was called, stopping at 1-6, 6-5. Ghafarshad at No. 6 was also making a comeback after a close first set, stopping at 6-7,4-1.

Redlands returns to the court Friday, March 6 when they host No. 21 Gustavus Adolphus beginning at 4:00pm.