TROY, Ala. – The Coastal Carolina men's tennis team won its 2019 Sun Belt Conference opener Saturday afternoon, defeating Troy 5-2 at the Lunsford Tennis Complex.
 
Coastal improves to 11-5 overall as the Chanticleers open their conference slate on a positive note. Troy, meanwhile, suffered just its second loss of the season as the Trojans fall to 14-2, 0-1.
 
After taking the doubles point, Coastal won singles points on courts one, three, four and six.
 
The doubles point was initially split as the second and third doubles courts were won by matching 6-1 scores. Troy won the No. 2 match, while Luiz Faria and Daiki Tanabe took the third court. Coastal won the deciding match at No. 1 with Zak Talic and Joel Popov prevailing, 6-2.
 
Two of Coastal's four singles points were won in straight sets. Those included Faria at No. 1, Popov at No. 3.
 
Pyry Hyrkkonen won in three sets at No. 4, as did Tanabe at No. 6.
 
Coastal finishes its Sun Belt opening weekend at South Alabama on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET.
 
Coastal Carolina 5, Troy 2
Singles competition
1. Faria, Luiz (CCU) def. Antuna, Pelayo (TROY) 6-4, 6-2
2. Michalek, Oskar (TROY) def. Talic, Zak (CCU) 6-2, 7-6
3. Popov, Joel (CCU) def. Bernard, Manuel (TROY) 6-1, 6-2
4. Hyrkkonen, Pyry (CCU) def. Duan, Jiaqi (TROY) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
5. Tasker, Christopher (TROY) def. Achondo, Gonzalo (CCU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Tanabe, Daiki (CCU) def. Selma, Antonio (TROY) 6-0, 6-7, 7-6

Doubles competition
1. Talic, Zak/Popov, Joel (CCU) def. Tasker, Christopher/Poyatos, Jorge (TROY) 6-2
2. Antuna, Pelayo/Duan, Jiaqi (TROY) def. Perrin, Lawrence/Cori, Francesco (CCU) 6-1
3. Faria, Luiz/Tanabe, Daiki (CCU) def. Michalek, Oskar/Bernard, Manuel (TROY) 6-1