Chicago, Ill. — An early doubles lead for Illinois Tech men's tennis was a good start in their late-night match against Hope College Saturday night at XS Tennis Center. Unfortunately for the Scarlet Hawks, they fell victim once again to being on the wrong side of third-set tiebreakers in singles play, narrowly falling 4-3 to the Flying Dutchmen.
The Scarlet Hawks fell to 2-3 overall, while Hope College improved to 4-2.
The Scarlet Hawks lost 3 of 4 third-set tiebreakers during singles competition, tipping the tide in favor of the Flying Dutchmen.
How It Happened
In a match that started late due to Hope College playing an earlier match at MSOE earlier in the afternoon, Illinois Tech set the tone early by sweeping the doubles point. Leading the charge were
Pol Dueso Guell and
Tejas Sheth, who secured a 6-4 win at No. 3 doubles over Owen Jackson and Ned Curley. Pedro Roca and
Hozumi Tada followed with a commanding 6-3 victory at No. 2 doubles against Paul Schneider and Elliot Dozeman. The dynamic duo of
Alexander Feher and
Tanay Sharma completed the sweep, edging out Alec Maynard and Cooper Nugent with a thrilling 7-6 win at No. 1 doubles.
In singles action, the Scarlet Hawks initially extended their lead with Sharma dominating at No. 2 singles, dispatching Rylan Doden 6-2, 6-1.
Joseph Au added another point at No. 6 singles, overcoming Jackson in a three-set battle, 6-3, 4-6, 1-0(10-4). Yet, the Flying Dutchmen mounted a comeback, starting with Dozeman's 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles over Tada.
The momentum continued to shift as Curley bested Roca at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 3-6, 1-0(10-6). Schneider delivered another blow at No. 3 singles, narrowly defeating Feher 6-4, 6-7, 1-0(10-8). Blake Smith sealed the match for Hope with a dramatic 6-3, 4-6, 1-0(11-9) victory over Dueso Guell at No. 4 singles.
Doubles
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Alexander Feher/
Tanay Sharma (Illinois Tech) def. Alec Maynard/Cooper Nugent (Hope) 7-6
Pedro Roca/
Hozumi Tada (Illinois Tech) def. Paul Schneider/Elliot Dozeman (Hope) 6-3
Pol Dueso Guell/
Tejas Sheth (Illinois Tech) def. Owen Jackson/Ned Curley (Hope) 6-4
Singles
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Ned Curley (Hope) def. Pedro Roca (Illinois Tech) 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)
Tanay Sharma (Illinois Tech) def. Rylan Doden (Hope) 6-2, 6-1
Paul Schneider (Hope) def.
Alexander Feher (Illinois Tech) 6-4, 6-7, 1-0 (10-8)
Blake Smith (Hope) def.
Pol Dueso Guell (Illinois Tech) 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9)
Elliot Dozeman (Hope) def.
Hozumi Tada (Illinois Tech) 6-2, 6-1
Joseph Au (Illinois Tech) def. Owen Jackson (Hope) 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-4)
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Joseph Au
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- 1 singles win
Tanay Sharma
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- 1 singles win
- 1 doubles win
Alexander Feher
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- 1 doubles win
Game Notes:
- This marked the first-ever matchup between the Scarlet Hawks and the Flying Dutchmen in men's tennis.
Up Next
Next, the Scarlet Hawks host North Central College on Saturday, February 28th at 7 p.m. at the XS Tennis Center in Chicago.
