ADA, Okla. – Harding men's tennis suffered its first loss of the season Thursday in a 5-4 loss to 39th-ranked East Central that snapped a 19-match winning streak. It was the Great American Conference opener for both teams.

Harding (19-1, 0-1) entered the match 53-4 in doubles matches, but lost all three to East Central (4-4, 1-0).

Kittibodee Singnil and Jon Mark Rowden lost 9-8 in a tiebreaker at No. 1, their first loss in 10 matches this season.

Despite the 3-0 deficit, Harding rallied in singles but fell one match short. Singnil defeated Stefan Stein, the 17th-ranked player in the NCAA II South Central Region, 6-4, 6-4 to improve to 10-0. Rowden won his match at No. 2 in straight sets to move to 13-0.

Harding's other singles wins came at No. 4, where Henrique Ruiz won his sixth straight, and at No. 6, where Adam Edwards won his 10th straight.

Harding's next match is a South Central Region match against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Tuesday, Apr. 4 in Searcy.

Tennis Match Results
Harding vs East Central
Mar 29, 2012 at Ada, Okla.
 
#39 East Central 5, Harding 4
 
 Singles competition
1. Kittibodee Singnil (HU) def. Stefan Stein (ECU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Jon Mark Rowden (HU) def. Carlos Muro (ECU) 6-0, 6-3
3. Julian Caminos (ECU) def. Alex Ford (HU) 6-1, 6-0
4. Henrique Ruiz (HU) def. Marc Fillat (ECU) 6-3, 7-5
5. Victor Blasco (ECU) def. Helio Hashimoto (HU) 6-1, 6-0
6. Adam Edwards (HU) def. Doyle Springett (ECU) 7-5, 6-3
 
 Doubles competition
1. Stefan Stein/Doyle Springett (ECU) def. Kittibodee Singnil/Jon Mark Rowden (HU) 9-8
2. Julian Caminos/Victor Blasco (ECU) def. Helio Hashimoto/Henrique Ruiz (HU) 8-5
3. Carlos Muro/Marc Fillat (ECU) def. Adam Edwards/Caleb McReynolds (HU) 8-5
 
Match Notes:
Harding 19-1
East Central 4-4; National ranking #39; Regional ranking #9