ORLANDO, Fla. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's tennis team won two doubles matches but fell to Youngstown State in a 6-1 defeat to start its three-match swing in Orlando.
 
The Knights (3-7) won two of the three doubles matches to take the first point of the match, but the Penguins (7-5) then won all six singles matches on their way to capturing the overall match win.
 
Sophomores Maciej Autuch and Moric Budinszky teamed up at third doubles and swept their Youngstown State opponents in a 6-0 win. Freshman Mehdi Dhouib and sophomore Andris Gudins then captured a 6-4 win at no. 1 doubles to help the Knights earn the doubles point.
 
Dhouib took Youngstown State's no. 1 singles player, Danylo Veremeichuk, to three sets, coming back after a first-set setback to win 6-3 in the second set. His opponent, however, then claimed a 6-4 win in the third set to take the match.
 
Sophomore Eduardo Cabral played a closely fought match at no. 6 singles despite falling in straight sets. He forced a tiebreak in the first set but could not overcome his opponent's efforts in a 6-7 (2), 3-6 loss.
 
Gudins mounted a strong rally at no. 2 singles in his second set, also forcing a tiebreak that was decided by a slim margin, but he suffered a 1-6, 6-7 (5) defeat as well.
 
Each of the remaining three singles matches were straight-set losses, with Autuch at no. 3 singles (2-6, 2-6), Budinszky at no. 4 (3-6, 2-6) and junior Ivan Solans Diaz playing at no. 5 (2-6, 4-6).
 
The Knights return to action Thursday against Howard at 12 p.m.
 
BOX SCORE
DOUBLES
Mehdi Dhouib/Andris Gudins (FDU) def. Danylo Veremeichuk/Joao Garretto (YSU), 6-4
Vasilis Vardakis/Luke Purser (YSU) def. Ivan Solans Diaz/Eduardo Cabral (FDU), 6-2
Maciej Autuch/Moric Budinszky (FDU) def. Yossi Dahan/Pol Virgili Blanco (YSU), 6-0
 
SINGLES
Veremeichuk (YSU) def. Dhouib (FDU), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Vardakis (YSU) def. Gudins (FDU), 6-1, 7-6 (5)
Garretto (YSU) def. Autuch (FDU), 6-2, 6-2
Purser (YSU) def. Budinszky (FDU), 6-3, 6-2
Dahan (YSU) def. Solans Diaz (FDU), 6-2, 6-4
Erik Gran (YSU) def. Cabral (FDU), 7-6 (2), 6-3