The Shadow
HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison overcame an early deficit, rallying in singles play to send off its seniors with a 4-2 victory against George Mason on Sunday afternoon at Hillside Courts.
The Dukes (13-7) celebrated their two seniors prior to the opening serve in Esteve Agusti and Francisco Sinopoli, who each notched singles victories in the comeback win.
Playing simultaneously with the JMU women, who also beat George Mason on Sunday, the Dukes fell behind early after Mason squeaked out the doubles point.
Mason (9-6) grabbed a 6-3 win on court one, but JMU evened things on court two, as Zach Fleishman and Gur Libal downed Edgar Vilain and Niza Simunyola by a 6-4 margin. The Patriots clinched the point on court three with a 6-4 triumph.
In singles play, using just three courts, JMU won two of the first three singles matches, squaring the bout at 2-2. Agusti capped off his home career with a dominant showing on court one, as he defeated Monil Lotlikar, 6-1, 6-1.
The Dukes grabbed the lead briefly, at 2-1, as Sinopoli rallied from a set down to beat Ekansh Kumar, not conceding a single game in the third. He won the match by scores of 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
George Mason evened things at 2-2, as Deniz Okyay battled back from a set deficit, pulling away in the third for a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Aurelien Schmitt.
The Dukes regained the lead on court four, as Ryan Morgan won a heated battle against Simunyola, earning a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory.
Fleishman, the lone JMU player to win in doubles and singles Sunday, closed out the match with an impressive showing on court five, dispatching Vilain by a 6-3, 6-2 count. Elsewhere, Libal was a set up on Adria Franco on court six, leading that match, at 6-1, 4-4.
JMU heads to Rome, Ga., next week for the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Tennis Championship, which will be contested at the Rome Tennis Center from April 16-19. The Dukes’ quarterfinal opponent (Apr. 17) will be announced on Monday by the league.
