PHILADELPHIA, PA. – Hitting the road for the first time after hosting seven straight home matches, the Queens College men's tennis team opened a two-match road trip starting in Philadelphia, PA against nationally-ranked #45 Thomas Jefferson University at Legacy Youth Tennis Center.
Matching up against their second straight nationally ranked opponent, the Knights won the doubles points at courts #3 and #1 before taking five of the six singles with junior
Alexis Martin-Gibiard (Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France) clinching the match at #4 singles as the Knights earned a 6-1 victory over the Rams.
The Knights improve to 6-2 overall and extend their win streaks to four matches.
DOUBLES PLAY
Queens jumped ahead 1-0 in doubles play as the #3 duo of junior
Lucas Foix Sotos (Javea, Spain) and sophomore
Loup Alleno (Paris, France) defeated Jules Thibault and Antonio Mateos Melenchon to the score of 6-3 for an early lead.
The #1 doubles pair of Marti-Gibiard and rookie
Adam Laur (Boulogne Billancourt, France) clinched the doubles points with a 6-3 victory over Mario Antonio Marables and Filip Slavkovic.
The Rams would earn the victory at #2 doubles as sophomore
Tim Andersson (Linkoping, Sweden) and rookie
Samuel Linck (Haarlem, Netherlands) fell in a back-and-forth match to Enrique Soto Ballester and Anthony Moukarzel to the score of 7-5.
SINGLES PLAY
Leading 1-0, the Knights went up 2-0 as Loup knocked off Thibault to the score of 6-2, 6-3 at #3 singles.
Laur at #6 singles put Queens in a commanding advantage of 3-0 with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Slavkovic.
The Rams would battle as Andersson fell at #2 singles against Moukarzel to the score of 6-4, 6-2 to cut the visitors' advantage down to 3-1.
Martin-Gibiard would clinch the match for Queens at #4 singles with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Melenchon.
Already leading 4-1 the final two matches of the afternoon would be decided in the third set with Foix Sotos earning a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Marales at #1 singles.
Linck would complete a first set down at #5 singles over Ballester with a 6-7
(5-7), 7-5, 10-7 victory as Queens completed a 6-1 victory over the Rams.
NEXT MATCH
Head coach
Somadi Druker and the Knights conclude the road trip with a stop in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Mar. 21 as they wrap up their East Coast Conference series against the University of the District of Columbia Firebirds. 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)
