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The Longwood men’s tennis team opened its spring season with a 7-0 loss to Liberty at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center Saturday.

Romeo Hadzimehmedovic and Deji Thomas-Smith opened doubles action with a 6-1 win over Timéo Puech and Petar Belosevic on court one before Luis Felipe Miguel and Matija Samardzic topped Alejandro Hernandez and Alejandro Uribe 6-3 at No. 2 to claim the doubles point for the Flames. Luis Reis and Seva Rusin trailed, 5-2, on court three against Rodrigo Santiago Arraez and Chase Robinson when Liberty clinched.

Liberty (4-1) won all six singles matches in straight sets. Thando Longwe-Smit beat Hernandez, 6-3, 6-1, on court two. Hadzimehmedovic then defeated Lorenzo Meschini, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 5.

Robinson beat Reis at No. 6, 6-2, 6-1, to clinch the match.

‘A good test’ 

“Today’s match against Liberty was a good test for our guys to start of the spring season,” said Longwood head coach Carlos Lora. “It not only showed us where we currently are as a team and what we need to work on for the rest of the season, but it also showed us how far we have come as a team since we began in August. The fight and grit that all of the guys showed today was a great improvement from where we had started at the beginning of the fall. I am certainly very excited for what is to come for the team this year and the steps forward that we will take.” 

Puech lost to Miguel, 7-5, 6-0 on court one, Belosevic fell, 6-4, 6-1 to Samardzic at No. 3 and Uribe dropped hist No. 4 encounter with Santiago Arraez, 6-4, 6-1.

Longwood (0-1) is back in action Sunday, Feb. 4 at 11 a.m., hosting the College of Charleston.