The Oglethorpe men's tennis team defeated the Covenant Scots 8-1 Tuesday afternoon at the Downing Howell Courts, improving their record to 4-5 on the season. The victory came in a dual match that was closer than the overall score would indicate, with of the top three singles matches going to three sets against a Covenant team that is very solid at the top of the lineup.
The Petrels got off to an excellent start in doubles, though, reducing much of the drama from the top three singles matches. The home side won all three matches in doubles, taking a commanding 3-0 lead into the singles portion. The No. 1 doubles team of junior C.J. Antonio and senior Ben Hirsch took care of business, 8-3, but the other two matches were close. Freshman Judd Motz and senior Josh Rosenberg got an 8-5 victory at No. 3 and the No. 2 team of junior Briton Richardson and senior Craig Borne picked up a huge 9-7 victory at No. 2.
In the singles, Hirsch won the first set at No. 3 but lost the second, leading to an exciting third set. Hirsch stayed on serve in the third frame until picking up a break in the final game of the match, securing the 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 win. Antonio didn't have much trouble at No. 1 in the first set, but appeared to be tiring with a loss in the second. He got down a break in the third set but came back to win the final six games for a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 victory, clinching the win on the day for the home team. Senior Kirk Zhao had a very competitive match at No. 2, winning the first and falling in a second-set tiebreak, setting up the third. However, he fell in a tight third seting, making the final score 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 for the team's only loss of the day. The team had a fairly easy time getting through the back half of the lineup, with Motz winnng in a clean sweep at No. 4, Richardson winning 6-0, 6-3 at No. 5, and sophomore Raines Green getting his second victory of the season with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph at No. 6.
"This match was much closer than the final score," said Head Coach Peter Howell. "There were tight three-set matches that could've gone either way in all of the top three singles positions. Fortunately, we had the 3-0 doubles momentum behind us and greater depth in our singles lineup. C.J. played with a lot of guts in pulling out a win when it looked like he had nothing left and Kirk is also playing with a great deal of heart, going three sets in consecutive days despite a wrist injury. Judd Motz had a great comeback from yesterday, sweeping his opponent today."
The Petrels will continue a busy week, as they'll travel across town to go against No. 4 Emory at 2 p.m. Thursday before welcoming in Birmingham-Southern and Millsaps as part of SAA play over the weekend. They'll take on BSC at 9 a.m. Saturday and Millsaps at 10 a.m. Sunday.
