Men's Tennis Edged by UMass Boston
Leopards fall to the Beacons, 5-4, after the match is decided by the final match of the day
MILTON, Mass. — Senior Mark Grinhaus (Scarsdale, N.Y.) held on for a tight victory at number four singles to help the University of Massachusetts Boston men's tennis team knock off Wentworth Institute of Technology 5-4 Wednesday afternoon at the Curry College Tennis Courts.
After taking a 3-1 lead early in the match, the Beacons needed Grinhaus to hold on in a second-set tiebreaker to complete their fourth-consecutive victory. Grinhaus held off Seng Ly (Lynn, Mass.) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) to cinch the match.
Senior Charles Lai (Boston, Mass.) swept a pair of matches at number one singles and doubles while fellow senior Brian Sou (Revere, Mass.) added a key victory at number six singles.
UMass Boston opened the match with an 8-4 victory, as Lai and Sean Cullen (Medway, Mass.) defeated Matthew Smith (Pelham, N.H.) and James Drum (Madison, Conn.) at number one doubles. The Beacons tacked on a second doubles point at number three doubles, as the Beacons' pair of Lyle Analetto (Belmont, Mass.) and Jack Wang (Suzhou, China) earned an 8-5 victory over freshman Mike Withington (Plymouth, Mass.) and Gaurav Tilva (Windsor, Conn.).
Wentworth countered with a 9-8 (8-6) victory at second doubles, as sophomore Josh Dowd (Bristol, Conn.) and freshman Nate Schwartz (Chester Springs, Pa.) earned the win over UMass Boston's pair of Eglis Bizhoti (Kucove, Albania) and Grinhaus.
Lai quickly pushed the lead back to two for UMass Boston, as he swept swept Drum 6-0, 6-0 at number one singles.
Wentworth responded with a pair of victories at number three and two singles. Schwartz downed Wang 6-0, 6-1 at number three singles, while Smith defeated Bizhoti 6-2, 6-3 at number two singles.
The Leopards took their lone lead of the match at 4-3, when Dylan Melnik (Wake Forest, N.C.) knocked off Analetto 6-2, 6-2 at number five singles.
UMass Boston evened the match moments later, when Sou picked up his first win of the year with a 6-3, 6-3 victory at sixth-singles over Dowd.
Sou's victory pushed the spotlight on Ly and Grinhaus who were in the midst of a competitive second set. After Grinhaus took the first set 6-4, Ly was leading 4-3 in the second and threatening to push the match to a third set. Grinhaus fought off two set points while trailing 5-4 to force a tiebreaker and cruised through the tiebreaker (7-1).
Wentworth is at Salve Regina on Saturday.