ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University men's tennis won its American Southwest Conference West division opener with a 7-2 decision over Concordia University-Texas at the Seidel-Swagerty Tennis Center. The win by the War Hawks (4-10, 1-0 ASC) over the Tornados (2-10, 0-2 ASC) also snapped a five-game skid for McM.
 
McMurry came out of the doubles matches with a 2-1 lead in the team score. At No. 1 doubles, the tandem of Carlos Martinez and Andrew Hallowell won for the team-best seventh time (7-6) this season by topping Holt Fields and Leo Marchesi, 9-8 (8-4). 
 
McM also won at No. 3 doubles behind Logan Daniell and Thierry Tchenko, who were 8-2 victors.
 
In singles play, the War Hawks took five of the six bouts. At No. 1 singles, Martinez continued his dominance by plowing Fields by a 6-4, 6-0 score.  It was Martinez's six-straight singles win – all in straight sets - and improved his personal record to a team-leading 9-3 overall.
 
At No. 2, Clayton Pope knocked off Marchesi, 6-2, 6-1. At No. 3 singles, senior Travis Gough had to go three sets, but notched the win over Clayton Hernandez. Gough lost set one 7-6 (10-8 in tiebreaker), but bounced back to win the next two sets, 6-2 and 6-1.
 
Senior Thierry Tchenko – who traded in his McM basketball high-tops for some tennis shoes just two weeks ago – also had an elongated match win over CUTX's Zach Haynie. Tchenko lost the opening set 6-3, and then rebounded to take set two, 6-2, and win the set three pro set, 10-5.
 
Zach Miller won at No. 6 singles in another three set contest.  Miller won set one, 7-6 (7-2), lost the second (6-4) and then took the third set pro set (10-3).