Bears Bite Visiting UAB In Marathon Home Matchup

Friday, March 27

Macon, Ga.

11 a.m.

Mercer University

UAB

Bears Bite Visiting UAB In Marathon Home Matchup

3/27/2026 3:54:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

MACON – Senior Amen Prince Gandonou rallied back from a 4-3 deficit in the deciding third set to give Mercer the match-clinching point as the Bears nipped visiting UAB, 4-3, in a marathon matchup on Friday afternoon at the Copelan Tennis Complex.

The decision snapped a four-match skid for Mercer (5-11) who also picked up its first victory in the 18-year-old series with the Blazers (7-10) as well. Friday's matchup in Macon finished just two minutes short of the 4-hour mark.

The Bears were gritty from the get-go, rallying from a pair of late deficits to clinch what would turn out to be the pivotal doubles point. UAB got things going with a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles, but Court Nos. 1 and 2 finished with an orange tinge. Amen Prince Gandonou and Shingo Masuda knotted doubles play up with a 6-4 win on Court No. 2, while Nemanja Stefanovic and Hod'Abalo Isak Padio, similarly, rallied back from a late one-point deficit to provide a 6-4 doubles clincher.

MU looked destined to wrap things up early by taking the first set on singles Court Nos. 4-6, but UAB rallied back to put the fans on the edge of the bleachers. Howell Burns gave the hosts a 2-1 edge on the team scoreboard with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Kaustubh Holcomb at No. 6 singles, but the Blazers tacked up three-straight singles victories to storm ahead.

Stefanovic gutted out a 7-5 tiebreaker in his second set of the featured singles match with Ondrej Valek, and then disposed of the UAB junior with a dominant 6-3 third set. That knotted the team score up at three points apiece and left the outcome in the hands of Gandonou on Court No. 4.

The Benin had all the feels of a straight-sets win by forging a 9-8 lead in the second-set tiebreaker, but Tomas Tischner rallied for three-straight point to force a deciding third set. Tischner tacked up a 4-3 lead in the deciding frame, but Gandonou won three-straight games to prevail.

Mercer will close out a short two-match stay at home on Sunday when the Bears suit up to battle Southern Conference foe Chattanooga (9-8, 3-0 SoCon) at the Copelan Tennis Complex. First serves are scheduled for 11 a.m. and admission is free.