The men’s tennis team bounced back with convincing victories over Hamilton and Connecticut College this week, snapping a six-game losing streak. The Cardinals thoroughly dominated the Continentals in every aspect of the match on Sunday, with Hamilton failing to win more than two games total in four singles matches in a 7-0 victory. It was more of the same on Wednesday, as the Cards dropped just one singles match in an 8-1 drubbing of Connecticut College.
The men’s tennis team suffered through its driest spell of the season prior to the two-game winning streak, dropping hard fought matches to key NESCAC rivals in Amherst, Colby, and Bowdoin. With their victories over the Continentals and Camels, the Cardinals added two much-needed conference victories to their resume.
“We had four matches in a row that could have gone either way, to be honest,” said tri-captain Jack Rooney ’07. “We were really disappointed that we weren’t able to pull out wins over Amherst, Colby, Bowdoin, and Vassar. But these two victories were important to get our confidence back up as our season comes to a close. It was especially key for Tallen Todorovich [’07], because his confidence has been at an all time low ever since he had to run naked laps around Fountain Street after Vijay [Chaudhuri ’07] and I beat the living crap out of him and OC [Matt O’Connell ’09] in beirut over the weekend.”
Against a Hamilton team that has clearly dropped off in talent from a few years ago, the Cardinals came out strong in doubles, earning three quick victories at all three doubles positions. At the number one doubles position, Todorovich and Rooney teamed together for an 8-3 victory, while Matt O’Connell and Jaafar Rizvi ’09 defeated their opponents by the same score at third doubles. Playing together for the first time in the doubles lineup, first year players Roy Chung ’09 and Miles Krieger ’10 stepped into the second doubles position for an 8-3 win.
In singles, the Cardinals clearly demonstrated their superior abilities, with no player dropping more than one game total in four matches. Paul Gerdes ’09 and O’Connell won their matches by 6-0, 6-1 decisions, while Rizvi and Mike Frank ’09 blanked their opponents with perfect 6-0, 6-0 scores. Notably absent from the match was Frank’s constant yelps of ‘you gotta do better, Michael!!!’ that previously characterized his singles matches.
Facing Connecticut College three days later, the Cards once again swept the doubles points behind an impressive performance from Todorovich and Rooney. The two seniors played perhaps their best doubles match of the season, using a key break of their opponent’s serve late in the match en route to an 8-6 win.
“Our win at first doubles was definitely our best doubles win of the season,” Todorivich said. “But we all know that I was the only reason we won the doubles match. I was just too good out there. After all I am T-Money, am I not?”
Rizvi and O’Connell were victorious at the second doubles position with an 8-4 win, while Alejandro Alvarado ’09 and Gerdes also prevailed 8-4 at third doubles. The Cardinals were close to sweeping singles for the second consecutive match, as Todorovich, Gerdes, O’Connell, Rizvi and Frank all recorded straight set victories. The only loss for the Cardinals in their 8-1 drubbing of the Camels was at second singles, where Rooney fell in a third set tiebreaker, 0-6, 7-6, (4-10) after suffering from cramps late in the match.
On Tuesday the Cardinals face one of their biggest tests of the year as they travel to Brandeis in a non-conference match-up. The last time Wesleyan faced off against Brandeis two years ago, the Cards fell 4-3 in their toughest loss of the season. A win over the Owls would allow the Cards to finish off their season with a win over a quality opponent, which the Cards have been unable to accomplish this season.
“We know we can take Brandeis,” said tri-captain Vijay Chaudhuri ’07. “We know we have the ability to beat any team in singles. It will come down to how we come out in doubles. If we’re aggressive at the net and close out points like we did against Hamilton and Connecticut College, we’ll win the match.”
Brandeis may very well be the team’s last match of the season. After Brandeis, the Cardinals look to reschedule their contest against Bentley, which was rained out earlier in the spring.
Leave a Reply