Bears Drop Another Heartbreaker In Fort Myers

Thursday, March 5

Fort Myers, Fla.

1 p.m.

Mercer University

St. John's

Bears Drop Another Heartbreaker In Fort Myers

3/5/2026 8:40:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Senior Amen Prince Gandonou toughed out a big straight-sets win at No. 5 singles to give Mercer a 3-2 lead on the team scoreboard, but red-hot St. John's rallied for the final three team points of the afternoon to hand the Bears a heartbreaking 4-3 loss on Thursday at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

It was the second one-point loss in 24 hours for Mercer (3-7) who fell to Florida Gulf Coast in a similar fashion on Wednesday in Fort Myers, Fla. The triumph marked the sixth-straight win for the Red Storm (9-1) whose only setback of the spring campaign came on February 7 at Cornell.

Nemanja Stefanovic/Hod'Abalo Isak Padio delivered a 6-3 win in the marquee doubles matchup and Amen Prince Gandonou/Shingo Masudo followed a short time later with the doubles clinching point on the shoulders of a 6-4 win on Court No. 2.

Semen Agynskyy yielded just two games in posting a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 3 singles that helped the Red Storm knot the team score back up, but the Bears retook the lead on Masuda's straight-sets win at No. 4 singles moments later. Sergej Zivkovic followed with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 6 singles, but Gandonou gave the Bears the lead once again with a 7-5, 6-4 triumph at No. 5 singles.

Radomir Tomic gritted out a 6-3, 7-5 victory at No. 1 singles over Padio to even the match up for the final time, and David Petrovic delivered the match-clincher when he shook off a second-set loss to Stefanovic to deliver a 6-4 victory in the deciding third set.

The Bears will continue their five-match stretch away from Macon on Sunday when they make the short hop over to Jacksonville, Fla., to battle North Florida (8-3). First serves are scheduled for 1 p.m. at the UNF Tennis Complex.