GREENWOOD, S.C. – The No. 28 Augusta University men's tennis team opened Peach Belt Conference play on Saturday afternoon, falling 5-2 to No. 26 Lander at the Joe Cabri Tennis Center.

Augusta secured the doubles point with wins on the top two courts. Alejandro Carbonell and Humberto Pinto earned a 6-4 victory at No. 1 doubles over Lander's nationally ranked duo, while Alexis Bailhache and David Perret followed with a 7-6 (7-5) win at No. 2. The No. 3 doubles match went to Lander, but the Jaguars held a 1-0 lead heading into singles.

In singles play, Arthur Valette picked up Augusta's lone point with a straight-set victory, defeating his opponent 7-6 (7-3), 7-5.

Alexis Bailhache fell in straight sets at the top position, while David Perret battled to three sets before coming up short. Alejandro Carbonell also pushed his match to a third-set tiebreak before falling 7-6 (9-7) in the final set.

Enzo Sakiyama and Humberto Pinto each dropped their matches in singles play as Lander secured the team victory.

Augusta moves to 5-7 overall and 0-1 in Peach Belt Conference play.

Augusta returns home for a non-conference matchup against USC Sumter on Tuesday, March 24 at 1:00 p.m.

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