FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason University men's tennis team went toe to toe with the Davidson Wildcats for nearly four hours but could not quite finish the job, falling 4-1 Saturday afternoon at the Mason Tennis Courts.
 
Five of six singles matches went the distance of three sets and Mason had chances to win in all of them.
 
The Patriots' victory came courtesy of senior Erick Rivas, who took a three-set victory. He won his first frame, 6-3, then dropped the second, 2-6. But Rivas was tenacious in the third. After breaking Brooks Green's serve twice to go up 4-1, Green fought back with a break of his own to move within one game at 4-3. Rivas trailed 30-40 in the following game, but won the next two points to pick up a massive hold on serve. He then won the next game to win the third set, 6-3.
 
Elsewhere, junior Rithik Sardana lost his first set, 6-4, but battled back at No. 2 singles to win the second, 6-2. He had chances in the third, but Udday Singh of Davidson picked up a late break to win that final frame, 6-4.
 
Senior Rishab Sardana's match took a similar trajectory. He fell in the first, 6-4, but picked up a gritty 7-5 win in the second. A late break also snuffed out Sardana's chances, as Alejandro Solares came back to win the third, 6-4.
 
Two other matches went unfinished, with a chance for a Patriot victory in both. At No. 3 singles, junior Momin Khan battled back from a 6-3 first set deficit to cruise in his second, 6-1. He trailed 3-5 in the third when the match was called.
 
At No. 4, junior Faisal Alrebdi lost a close one in a tiebreak in the first, 6-7 (4-7). He was tied in the second (6-6) with Juan Gongora when the match concluded.
 
Mason wraps up the regular season back at the Patriot Tennis Courts on Sunday. The Green & Gold host Duquesne at 10 a.m.