FLUSHING, N.Y. – Returning to Division II tennis, the Queens College men's tennis team
(4-2 overall) picked up a crucial East Regional win Saturday evening as the Knights defeated the visiting Rams of Thomas Jefferson University
(9-1 overall) inside the Queens College Tennis Bubble.
For the third straight match in a row, Queens would be locked in a marathon match with the outcome coming down to the final two matches.
But with the Knights leading 3-2, senior
Mariano Bibiloni (La Plata, Argentina) at #5 singles would clinch the winning point as the Knights handed the Rams their first loss of the season and picked up a crucial East Regional victory.
With Saturday's win, the Knights improved their record to 8-0 overall against the Rams dating back as far as the 2004 season.
Once again the #3 doubles pair of graduate student
Moritz Borges (Hunxe, Germany) / sophomore
Cameron Henricy (Las Palmas, Spain) would give Queens an early lead as the duo dispatched Jules Thibault and Asger Emil Ildor to the score of 6-4.
But the Rams pair of German Lopez Andujar and Hubert Theriault would tie the doubles competition following their victory over the #1 doubles pair of senior
Kareem Rashad (Alexandria, Egypt) and graduate student
Lluis Miralles Miro (Barcelona, Spain) to the score of 6-4.
With the clinching point now to come at #2 doubles, the pair of senior
Lucas Demuth (Buenos Aires, Argentina) andjunior
Roni Rikkonen (Tampere, Finland) would go into a tiebreaker against Hannibal Borg and Elliot Jarosz.
But the Knights would earn the clinching crucial at #2 doubles to the final score of 7-5 to give Queens a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Having clinched the doubles point, Rikkonen would put the Knights up 2-0 as he made quick work of E. Soto Ballester to the score of 6-1, 6-4 at #2 singles.
The Rams would fight back and cut the lead down to 2-1 as Henricy fell at #1 singles to Theriault to the score of 3-6, 3-6 before the visitors tied the match following Thibault victory over Rashad at #3 singles to the score of 6-3, 6-4.
However, at #4 singles Demuth would help Queens take a 3-2 lead as he defeated Borg to the score 6-3, 6-2 before Bibiloni clinched the match for the Knights at #5 singles over Mario Antonio to the score of 6-3, 6-3.
Miro would lose in a three-set match at #6 singles to Jarosz to the score of 3-6, 6-4, 3-6 as the doubles points proved to be the difference maker in Saturday's contest giving Queens a 4-3 victory.
UP NEXT: Head coach
Somadi Druker and the Knights homestand continues on Thursday (Mar. 9) afternoon as the Panthers of Adelphi University come to town. First serve set for noon.
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