GULF SHORES, Ala. – Monday afternoon the Yellowjacket men's tennis team opened its spring trip Monday with a tight, one-point loss, falling 4-3 to Belhaven. The 'Jackets looked to rebound Tuesday, taking on St. Thomas out of Texas.
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And as close as Monday's match was, Tuesday's was even closer. Unfortunately, the Yellowjackets again came up just short.
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After losing the doubles point and falling behind 3-0, the Yellowjackets rallied to even the match, with everything hinging on the result at No. 4 singles. St. Thomas proved to be too tough, however, and it edged the Yellowjackets on a tiebreaker at No. 4, getting he 4-3 win at the Gulf Shores Tennis Complex.
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Vitor Sakakibara (São Paulo, Brazil/Colégio Saber) took the first set at No. 4 singles, 6-2, but St. Thomas' Wilson Salazar rallied to take the second, 6-4, setting up the tiebreaking third for the match. Salazar was able to pull away in the tiebreaker, winning 10-5, giving him the third set and St. Thomas the match.
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Match Notes
- St. Thomas took the doubles point, winning two of the three matches. The lone Yellowjacket win came at the No. 3 position, where Brandon Chu (Rogers, Minn./Rogers) and Blake Haugen (Fairmont, Minn./Fairmont) won 7-5.
- With the doubles point out of the way St. Thomas put itself on the cusp of a win by taking the first two points of singles play, winning at the No. 3 and No. 6 positions.
- Sharan Kanugovi (Bangalore, Karnataka/New Baldwin International School) was victorious at No. 1 singles, defeating Raja Pandya in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5.
- Chu needed a tiebreaker to get the win at No. 5. He lost the first set 4-6 before taking the second 6-2. He won the third set 1-0 (10-5), giving him two wins on the day.
- Yash Chhabra (Jaipur, Rajasthan/Sanskar School) also won in a tiebreaker. Chhabra beat Pooya Tork in the first set 6-2 before dropping the second set 6-7. He took the tiebreaker 1-0 (10-3), to pull the Yellowjackets even.
- Kanugovi's win improved his singles record for the year to 7-5.
- Chhabra evened his record to 5-5 on the campaign.
- Chu and Haugen are now 2-3 in doubles play.
The Yellowjackets return to action Wednesday when they take on West Florida. The first serve is set for 1 p.m. at the Gulf Shores Tennis Complex.
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