MELBOURNE, Fla. (Men’s Tennis) – Though Florida Tech fought hard against No. 12 Flagler, the Panthers came up short and lost 7-2 in their season opener Saturday at the Fee Avenue Tennis Courts.

“One and two doubles did a great job holding serve at the end,” FIT head coach Bill Macom said. “Their intensity was excellent. We had some chances to put pressure on Flagler in singles, but it did not pan out. However, it was still a good first match. We have a lot of new talent that’s already blending with our upperclassmen.”

In doubles, Barry Dylewski and Michael Schmidt defeated Gino Ramirez and Jose Martinez, 9-7. The Panthers’ No. 2 team of Nicolas Clerc and Jorge Abarca Montero also won by the same score against Peter Coulis and Inigo Landaluce

However, once singles play began, the tide turned as Flagler won all six matches. After winning his first set 6-0, Beau Fieldsend dropped the last two sets to Gino Ramirez, 6-3, 6-3. Clerc was close to defeating Martinez, but lost in the final set, 7-5, 4-6, 10-5.

On Friday, the Panthers will have a chance to rebound against Palm Beach Atlantic at 2:30 p.m. at Fee Avenue.