INDIANAPOLIS - The IU Indianapolis men's tennis team battled to the final point on Saturday afternoon, but visiting UIC slipped past the Jaguars by a 4-3 margin at West Indy Racquet Club.
 
The match came down to a tightly contested third set at No. 4 singles as the Flames secured the deciding point to clinch the victory.
 
UIC (4-3) claimed the early doubles point, taking wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. The Jaguars avoided the sweep when the tandem of Eli Mercer and Pumiphat Sukkho earned a 6-3 victory at No. 3 doubles.
 
In singles play, IU Indy (3-5) showed resilience with three strong straight-set victories. Mercer delivered an impressive 6-2, 6-2 win over Simon Knezevic at No. 3 singles. Jai Dutta followed with a 7-5, 6-2 triumph at the No. 5 spot, and Brandon Pham earned a 6-1, 6-4 victory at No. 6 to even the team score.
 
Konner Gunwall pushed UIC's Artem Alekseychuk to three sets at No. 1 singles before falling 7-5, 1-6, 6-4. After Owen Nguyen split the opening two sets at No. 2 singles, UIC's Eldin Nokic pulled away in the decisive third set. The match ultimately hinged on the No. 4 position, where Cameron Kryscio forced a third-set tiebreak before Mihailo Savic secured the 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 victory to seal the Flames' win.
 
The Jaguars will return to action next week as they continue their spring slate.