WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. – The Niagara men's tennis team started MAAC play with a 5-2 defeat to the Fairfield Stags on Saturday.
 
Felipe Fuentes and Chris Grossi each won their second straight singles match to provide all of the scoring for the Purple Eagles (2-8, 1-0 MAAC). Fuentes defeated Ofir Solomon, 6-4, 7-6 (4) in No. 2 singles and Grossi outlasted Gabriel Pamich, 4-6, 7-5, 10-7 in six singles.
 
Niagara trailed 1-0 entering the singles portion of the match. The Stags (3-11, 1-1 MAAC) won in three and one singles for a 3-0 lead, before the Purple Eagles got on the board with Fuentes' win. Fairfield clinched the match by winning in No. 4 singles.
 
The Purple Eagles continue their MAAC weekend homestand versus Siena on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
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Fairfield 5, Niagara University 2
 Singles competition
1. Orban, Brad (FFD) def. Nadeau, Francis (NIAM) 6-3, 6-3
2. Fuentes, Felipe (NIAM) def. Solomon, Ofir (FFD) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Rodgers, Jeffrey (FFD) def. Boleslav, Brent (NIAM) 6-2, 6-1
4. Appel, Dylan (FFD) def. Wenninger, Lukas (NIAM) 6-0, 6-0
5. Caputo, Anthony (FFD) def. Smithyman, Joseph (NIAM) 6-1, 6-2
6. Grossi, Chris (NIAM) def. Pamich, Gabriel (FFD) 4-6, 7-5, 10-7
 
 Doubles competition
1. Orban, Brad/Solomon, Ofir (FFD) def. Boleslav, Brent/Wenninger, Lukas (NIAM) 7-6 (7-2)
2. Caputo, Anthony/Rodgers, Jeffrey (FFD) def. Fuentes, Felipe/Smithyman, Joseph (NIAM) 6-3
3. Appel, Dylan/Lemieux, Luke (FFD) def. Mackowski, Mark/Nadeau, Francis (NIAM) 6-0
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (3,1,2,4,5,6)