RICHMOND, VA. – With the score tied at 3-all, Francisco Sinopoli held off sophomore Evan Duggal at No. 4 singles as James Madison outlasted Furman, 4-3, in men's tennis action Saturday at Richmond's Westhampton Tennis Complex.

Furman drops to 4-9 overall while James Madison improves to 8-3 on the season.

The Paladins opened the match by capturing the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 to hold the early 1-0 lead. The No. 2 tandem of Duggal and Landon Ecarma topped Ryan Morgan and Aurelien Schmitt, 6-4, when Zach Fleishman and Harrison Lee defeated Alex Han and Barnabas Sift at No. 3 by a 6-3 score. Nicolas Dispas and Nico Snyder, playing at No. 1, secured the doubles point for Furman with their 6-3 triumph over Sinopoloi and Esteve Agusti.

The Dukes fought back in singles play by winning four matches capped by Sinopoli's three-set victory against Duggal. The Paladins claimed straight-set wins by Snyder at No. 1 and Dispas at No. 3. Snyder extended Furman's lead to 2-0 with his 6-2, 6-3 victory against Agusti. Following three straight wins by James Madison, Dispas evened the score at when he defeated Morgan in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Duggal started the match with Sinopoli by taking the first set, 6-2, when Sinopoli answered to win the second, 6-3. Duggal held a 5-4 advantage in the third set when Sinopoli won three consecutive points for the 7-5 victory.

The Paladins close out their 10-match road trip tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. facing Richmond from Westhampton Tennis Complex. Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live video. Updates will be posted on the Furman men's tennis Twitter page (@FurmanMTennis.)

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