MARSHALL, TX—Texas Wesleyan University (1-1) men's tennis fell 5-2 to East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) on the road, battling frigid conditions.

Doubles action concluded in a 2-3-1 order for the Rams. The No. 2 duo of Elliot Hoffmann and Malte Sommer fell 6-2, giving ETBU an early advantage.

At No. 3, Fabio Martin and Adriano Andrade fought through a tight contest, securing an early break and holding a 5-4 lead before ultimately falling 7-5. The losses awarded ETBU the doubles point and momentum heading into singles play.

Despite the early setbacks, Texas Wesleyan's top doubles pair, Luca Link and Marco Salamanca, staged a comeback at the No. 1 spot. Trailing 5-3, they forced a tiebreak and emerged victorious, 7-6 (7-4), improving to 2-0 on the season. The win provided a confidence boost heading into their singles matches.

Salamanca delivered a strong performance at the No. 1 in singles matches. He edged out his opponent in a first-set tiebreak, 7-6 (7-1), before cruising to a 6-1 second-set victory.

At No. 2 singles, Sommer faced a formidable opponent in Jaco Synman. Synman controlled the opening set with aggressive forehands and precise shot placement, taking it 6-2. Sommer responded in the second set, making key adjustments, but ultimately fell short in the critical points, dropping the match.

Andrade, competing in his first spring season with the Rams, struggled to adapt to the cold at No. 3 singles, losing the first set 6-2. He showed resilience in the second, adopting a more aggressive approach, but narrowly fell 6-4.

Link off his doubles victory and carried the momentum into singles play at the No. 5 spot by using strong play at the net, he secured a hard-fought 6-3, 6-4 victory.

The Rams return to action on Saturday at the Arlington Tennis Center against the University of Texas at Dallas.