ATHENS, Ga. -
Fresno State's No. 27-ranked senior Remi Boutillier
defeated Duke's 38th-ranked Chris Mengel, 6-4, 6-4, Wednesday in the
first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Singles Championships at
the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
Boutillier (22-3), the 2012 WAC Player of the Year, now advances
onto the second round where he will face No. 36 Bradley Klahn of Stadford on Thursday.
Francis Alcantara,
the other Bulldog competing in the singles championships, fell to
Mississippi's No. 20-ranked Marcel Thiemann, 6-3, 7-6 (2), in the first
round Wednesday. He ends his singles season with a 21-3 record.
Boutillier took the first set of his match by continuously
holding off Mengel. After he took a 3-1 lead, Mengel came back to tie it
at three games apiece and then again at four. However, after that,
Boutillier put the first set away to take the early lead in the match.
The second set started off with Boutillier and Mengel splitting
the first nine games, with neither of the two winning consecutive games.
At that point Boutillier held a 5-4 lead with Mengel serving to try to
extend the match.
Mengel was unable to do so, as Boutillier was able to finally win
consecutive games for the first time in the set to seal the first round
victory.
Alcantara's match was an uphill battle after a slow start.
Thiemann won the first set 6-3 and then won the first four games of set
No. 2.
The Bulldog sophomore fought back to win the next three games and
eventually held a 6-5 lead in the second set. However, Thiemann would
send the set into the tiebreaker where he would eventually take the
match.
Alcantara still has more tennis to be played in Athens though, as
he and Boutillier start the doubles championships Thursday against
Georgia Tech's third-seeded duo of Kevin King and Juan Spir.