Men's tennis team opens national tournament with a win

The Eastern Florida State College men's tennis team opened the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament Monday morning with a win.

Jaewoo Choi was the first to take the court for the Titans, playing Coastal Alabama's Cody Bonds in the first round at No. 2 singles.

Choi picked up the win in less than an hour, beating Bonds 6-0, 6-0 to advance to the second round of the tournament. The freshman from Australia will play No. 6 seed Barton Community College's James Kaoma Tuesday at 8 a.m.

The No. 1 doubles team of Lucas Gonzalez and George Myers Millington fell in three sets to the team from Wallace State in the first round of the tournament.

The duo got off to a fast start, going up 2-0 in the first set but Wallace State came back to tie things at 2-2. It would remain tight until the Titans got a break up 4-3 as Millington hit a shot down the line to give the Titans a 5-3 lead. Gonzalez would then serve and win the first set 6-3.

But Wallace State bounced back, winning the second set 6-1 and forced a third set. The Titans forced deuce twice in the third set but Wallace State held on to pick up the win, 6-1.

Gonzalez is also playing at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, playing his first singles match as the No. 4 seed will face Pratt Community College's Dante Despontin in the second round. Despontin won his first-round match 6-2, 6-2. Gonzalez received a bye in the first round.

Ramiro Rincon will be in action for the first time at No. 3 singles, facing Iowa Central Community College's Nafiralo Oattara who won 6-1, 6-4 in the first round. The match will begin at 9:15 a.m.

Bernardo Vieira will also open at 9:15 a.m. at No. 4 singles, playing Harford Community College's Paulo Reis who won in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.

Lluc Pasqual Camps will play at 10:30 a.m. in a second-round match against Harford Community College's Tinashe Whata at No. 5 singles. Camps is the No. 4 seed and had a bye in the first round. Whata won his first-round match 6-2, 6-1.

Also playing at 10:30 a.m. is Corentin Venot who is the No. 4 seed at No. 6 singles. Venot will play USC Sumter's Mario Molina, who picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win Monday in the first round.

The No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams will also be in action in second-round matches in the afternoon.