Box Score GREENVILLE, S.C. – James Madison men’s tennis used strong doubles play and clutch finishes in singles to upend Furman, 5-2, in on Saturday afternoon at Mickel Tennis Center.
 
The Dukes improved to 1-1 on the year, while the Paladins fell to 1-3.
 
A trio of Dukes went 2-0 on the day, as Youssef Sadek, Esteve Agusti and Aathreya Mahesh notched wins in both singles and doubles, while Markus Giersiepen put together his first collegiate win to close the match.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Doubles Play

• JMU claimed victories on courts one and two while dropping a tiebreak on three to grab the early 1-0 match lead.
• Playing their first match on court one, the team of Agusti and Mahesh registered a 6-2 victory against Thomas Kennedy and Elijah Poritzky.
• The Dukes secured the doubles point on court two, where Julian Lozano and Sadek dispatched Ben Cahill and Emil Westling, 6-4.
• Furman salvaged a tiebreak win on court three, as Cole Burnam and Alex Han fended off Giersiepen and Francisco Sinopoli, 7-6 (4).

 
Singles Play

• The Paladins squared the match at 1-1 on court two, as Leonardo Dal Boni took a 6-4, 6-3 win from Lozano.
• Sadek gave the lead back to JMU on court one, cruising past Kennedy by scores of 6-4, 6-2.
• Furman tied it once again at 2-2 with a straight-set triumph on court three. In a back-and-forth match, Westling held off Sinopoli, 6-3, 6-4.
• Another tight one on court four went JMU’s way as Agusti notched his first dual win for the Dukes by pulling away from John Rado, 7-6 (4), 6-3. That gave JMU a 3-2 match lead.
• Mahesh clinched the win for JMU on court six, as he rolled to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Burnam.
• In the day’s final match, Giersiepen picked up his first career victory. After holding off Connor Laymon in a first-set tiebreak, he used that momentum to fuel him to a 7-6 (5), 6-2 triumph.

 
UP NEXT
JMU is back in action on Sunday, Jan. 21 when it faces Queens in a neutral-site bout in Greenville. The opening serve is set for noon at Mickel Tennis Center.