FLUSHING, N.Y. – Opening a three-match week, the Queens College men's tennis team welcomed the Spartans of St. Thomas Aquinas College to town in a Monday afternoon East Coast Conference match inside the QC Tennis Bubble.
The Knights would fall short in doubles play before sweeping all six singles matches to earn a 6-1 victory over the Spartans.
With the win, the Knights improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in ECC play.
Doubles
The #1 doubles pair of sophomore
Lucas Foix Sotos (Javea, Spain) and rookie
Tim Andersson (Linkoping, Sweden) earned a 6-3 victory over Nathan Yacar and Don Lominoque to give the Knights an early lead.
But the Spartans would rally as the #2 doubles pair of junior
Cameron Henricy (Las Palmas, Spain) and rookie
Noah Gauthier (La Colle-sur-Loup, France) fell to the pair of Ludovico Truffelli and Ondrej Sramek to the score of 6-3 to tie the doubles action at 1-1.
However, the visitors would take a 1-0 lead into singles play as the new pair at #3 doubles in senior
Roni Rikkonen (Tampere, Finland) and freshman
David Cerne (Ljubljana, Slovenia) fell to Seth Newman and Henry Ronnberg to the score of 6-2.
Singles
Queens began the rally at #1 singles as Rikkonen defeated Lominoque in straight sets to the score of 6-4, 6-3 to tie the match at 1-1.
The Knights would take a 2-1 lead as Henricy earned another straight set match as he defeated Truffelli to the score of 6-1, 6-4 at #2 singles.
Queens would take a 3-1 advantage as Andersson completed a 2-0 afternoon against the Spartans as he knocked off Sramek to the score of 6-1, 6-2 at #3 singles.
Queens would clinch at #4 singles as Foix Sotos went undefeated on the day as well by defeating Newman at #4 singles in a three-set battle. Newman took the first set to the score of 6-3 before Sotos rallied with a 6-4 second set victory. The sophomore would shutout Newman in the third set to the score of 6-0 as Queens clinched the match.
It would be another back-and-forth match at #5 singles as senior
Francisco Gonzalez (La Plata, Argentina) battled against Ronnberg. Gonzalez earned the first set victory to the score of 7-5 before Ronnberg earned a 6-0 victory to force the third set. But the senior would dig deep to earn the third set victory to the score of 6-4 to put the Knights up 5-1.
Rookie Gauthier at #6 singles would complete the singles sweep with a 6-1, 7-6
(7-5) two set victory over Lennart Lehmann as the Knights earned a 6-1 victory and improved to 2-0 in conference play.
Next Serve
The Knights open a two-match road trip beginning on Friday (Mar. 29) afternoon in ECC play as they match up against the Firebirds of the University of the District of Columbia in the Nation's Capital. The first serve is set for 1:00 p.m.
For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), Twitter (@QCKnights), Instagram (qcknightsny), qcmtennis (@qcmtennis)
