FLUSHING, N.Y. – Returning to non-conference play in their lone match of the week, the Queens College men's tennis team welcomed nationally-ranked #42 Adelphi University Panthers to the QC Indoor Tennis Bubble.
The doubles play would be three close matches but Queens would earn two tiebreaker victories at #2 and #3 courts before the Knights took five of the six singles matches with rookie
Samuel Linck (Haarlem, Netherlands) clinching the match at #5 court to earn a 6-1 victory over the Panthers.
The Knights improve to 5-2 overall and extend their win streaks to three matches.
DOUBLES PLAY
The Knights fell behind 1-0 in doubles play as the #1 duo of junior
Alexis Martin-Gibiard (Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France) and rookie
Adam Laur (Boulogne Billancourt, France) were defeated 4-6 by the Panthers pair of Hugo Munoz Reinoso and Reece Farrow.
Queens would rally beginning with the #2 pair of junior
Lucas Foix Sotos (Javea, Spain) and rookie Linck as the pair earned a back-and-forth victory over Marko Jovanovic and Rodrigo Ochoa to the score of 7-6
(7-4) to tie doubles play at 1-1.
In another back-and-forth match at #3 court between the sophomore pair of
Tim Andersson (Linkoping, Sweden) and
David Cerne (Ljubljana, Slovenia) against Louca Bertone and Andrea Albiero, the Queens duo trailed the tiebreaker 5-3 before they fought back with four straight points to earn a 7-6
(7-5) victory and give the Knights a 1-0 lead into singles.
SINGLES PLAY
For the second straight match, the Knights wasted no time in clinching the victory as they took five of the six singles for their third straight victory.
Foix Sotos completed his 2-0 afternoon as he defeated Jovanovic in straight sets to the score of 6-4, 6-2 at #1 singles to put Queens up 2-0.
Rookie Laur would make quick work of Ochoa at #6 singles earning a 6-2, 6-1 victory to give the Knights a 3-0 commanding lead.
Queens would clinch the match behind rookie Linck at #5 singles as he earned a 6-2, 6-2 over Farrow.
Leading 4-0, sophomore
Loup Alleno (Paris, France) would earn the Knights their fifth victory of the afternoon earning a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Albiero at #3 singles.
Andersson closed out the Knights scoring and completed his 2-0 afternoon earning a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Bertone at #2 singles.
Martin-Gibiard would battle at #4 singles against Spyridon Papageorgiou, but Papageorgiou would earn the Panthers their lone point of the day as he defeated Martin-Gibiard to the score of 6-4, 6-3, but the Knights would go onto earn their first victory over a nationally-ranked foe for the first time this season with a 6-1 victory.
NEXT MATCH
Head coach
Somadi Druker and the Knights continue non-conference play as they hit the road for the first time this season opening a two-match road stand starting on Thursday, Mar. 20 in Philadelphia, PA against Thomas Jefferson University Rams. 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)
