BOGOTA, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's tennis team picked up its first Northeast Conference victory of the season with a 7-0 win over St. Francis Brooklyn Wednesday night at the Bogota Racquet Club.
 
The Knights (3-4, 1-0 NEC) opened their first home match of the 2020 season with wins in two of three doubles matches as well as all six singles bouts to complete the point sweep of the Terriers (5-7, 2-1 NEC). Four players won in both singles and doubles, including junior Andris Gudins, redshirt sophomore Niclas Pietsch, sophomore Mehdi Dhouib and freshman Teodors Pukse.
 
Dhouib and Pietsch teamed up at no. 1 doubles and earned FDU's first win of the night with a 7-5 victory over Paul Grabuleda and Daniel Blasco. The Terriers next won at the third doubles spot by the same score, 7-5, making the no. 2 doubles spot a battle for the opening point.
 
The Knights duo of Pukse and Gudins were brought to a tiebreaker by Paolo Chiapponi and Tomas Dirube, but the FDU pair gained the early advantage and never looked back in sweeping the tiebreaker, 7-0, to win the match and the doubles point, 7-6 (0).
 
Pukse carried his momentum from doubles into singles play, gaining FDU's second point of the night with a 6-1, 6-3 victory at no. 1 singles, his seventh straight win at the top singles spot to start the season. Gudins then provided FDU a 3-0 lead by only dropping three total games in a 6-3, 6-0 straight-set victory over Dennis Sanchez.
 
Dhouib clinched the overall match victory with his 6-0, 7-6 (5) win at no. 2 singles, and junior Moric Budinzsky then added to FDU's lead with a 6-2, 7-6 (5) win over Luis Foix Sotos at the no. 6 spot.
 
At the third and fourth positions, both Pietsch and senior Ivan Solans Diaz played to a supertiebrekaer. Pietsch at the no. 3 spot fell in his first set but rallied back with a 7-5 win in the second set to force the supertiebreaker, where Pietsch showed determination in holding off Blasco for a 11-9 win.
 
Solans Diaz then wrapped up the day with a 7-5, 6-7 (4), 10-8 victory in the closest match of the day.
 
The Knights have not lost in their last 10 matches facing the Terriers, only dropping one game to St. Francis Brooklyn since 2006.
 
FDU waits to compete next Wednesday, February 26, at Monmouth at 9 p.m.
 
BOX SCORE
 
DOUBLES
 Mehdi Dhouib/Niclas Pietsch (FDU) def. Pau Grabuleda/Daniel Blasco (SFC), 7-5
Teodors Pukse/Andris Gudins (FDU) def. Paolo Chiapponi/Tomas Dirube (SFC), 7-6 (0)
Dennis Sanchez/Luis Foix Sotos (SFC) def. Ivan Solans Diaz/Moric Budinszky (FDU), 7-5
 
SINGLES
Pukse (FDU) def. Facundo Couso (SFC), 6-1, 6-3
Dhouib (FDU) def. Grabuleda (SFC), 6-0, 7-6 (5)
Pietsch (FDU) def. Blasco (SFC), 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (11-9)
Solans Diaz (FDU) def. Chiapponi (SFC), 7-5, 6-7 (4), 1-0 (8)
Gudins (FDU) def. Sanchez (SFC), 6-3, 6-0
Budinszky (FDU) def. Foix Sotos (SFC), 6-2, 7-6 (5)