BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle men's tennis team came out on the wrong end of a battle between two top-10 teams on Thursday, as the 10^th-ranked Eagles fell to eighth-ranked Lynn 5-1 at the Fighting Knights' Perper Tennis Complex. The Eagles are now 3-3 on the year, while Lynn moves to 5-2 overall.
 
The individual match scores were closer than the overall team score would suggest.
Lynn earned the first point of the day when Jakub Jiricka and Kay Bartmann edged Carlos Becke and Deepak Vishavkarma 8-6 at the top spot. The matches at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles each needed an extra set to decide the outcome. In the end, Mehdi Laalej and Florian Clemares held off Juan Ortiz Couder and Mickael Faucher 9-7, while Jean Baptiste Mateo and Jose Porfirio topped Luke de Cares and Rodolfo Arreygue by the same score to give the Fighting Knights a 3-0 lead heading into singles.
 
Vishavkarma recorded the lone singles point for the Blue and Gold, besting Clemares in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, for his first singles win of the season.
 
Ortiz Couder gave Laalej all he could handle in the first set, but in the end it was the Fighting Knights' top-flight player who won the battle, 7-5, 6-1. The clinching point came at the second spot where 19^th-ranked Mateo topped Becke 6-4, 6-2.
 
"After falling behind 0-3 in very tight doubles matches, we knew it was going to be a tough battle on the singles courts." ERAU Assistant Coach Chris Wollett said. "We started strong in singles picking up a win at No. 3, but we were really pressed when Juan lost. It was a bit disappointing when they clinched at No.2 as we were leading on the unfinished courts."
 
The Eagles will have a long layoff before their next match, which will be at home against Lewis on March 7 at 3:30 p.m.