The Liberty Men’s Tennis team fell short against Princeton University in a competition held Feb. 1, losing 5-2.
Fresh off a 1-1 trip to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Kickoff Weekend, Liberty had the momentum to go toe-to-toe with the Tigers Saturday Feb 1. The Flames sought out their first win against Princeton after losing the last two times they met; however, the Flames fell short once again.
While the doubles matches went in the Flames’ favor, winning two of the three, the singles matches did not have the same luck with the Flames winning only one of the six.
Liberty secured its first doubles win as senior Joaquim Almeida and freshman Siwanat Auytayakul defeated the Tigers 6-2. With a 9-3 winning record, the duo was prepared to take on the Tigers and did so successfully.
Liberty’s second doubles win came from redshirt senior Trey Stinchcomb and redshirt sophomore Chase Robinson with a final score of 6-2 against Princeton’s Milan Markovits and Matthew Bosancic. In an intense match with Liberty and Princeton trading the lead throughout each game, Robinson and Stinchcomb were able to combat Princeton’s duo and take the win home for the Flames.
The Flames ended the doubles matches with a 6-1 loss against Fnu Nidunjianzan and Ellis Short. Junior Carl Roothman and redshirt freshman Ernst Gouws showed valiant efforts in a slow-starting game that ultimately ended in Princeton’s favor.
The Liberty Flames walked away from the singles matches with only one win, which allowed Gouws to add to his 7-3 winning record.
The first match that concluded was a Princeton sweep as Paul Inchauspe overtook Roothman. Roothman came off his doubles loss with low energy, losing the first set 6-1. The second set resulted similarly for Roothman, losing 6-4.
As a freshman, coming off his win with Almeida, Auytayakul was eager to take on Short. However, he was unable to pull ahead, losing the first set 6-2 and the second set 6-4.
In a long-fought match between Robinson and Aleksandar Mitric, Robinson fell short in the second and third matches. Coming off his win with Stinchcomb, Robinson rode that momentum to take the victory over Princeton, winning the first set by three points. In a competitive second set that kept fans on the edge of their seats, Robinson lost the set 7-5. Finally, in the third set, Robinson lost steam and fell behind Mitric, allowing Princeton to take the win, 6-2.
In a nail-biting game, Almeida went head-to-head with Nidunjianzan but was unable to defeat him. Almeida won the first set 6-3, but Nidunjianzan pulled ahead for the final two 7-5, 6-2.
The Flames’ fifth loss of the singles matches with sophomore Rodrigo Santiago Arraez losing to Evan Wen. Princeton’s Wen was able to pull ahead in two out of three sets, securing the win.
The Flames’ only singles win went to Gouws in a grueling two-hour, 44-minute game. Starting with a close first match that ended with Princeton’s Meecah Bigun clinching the win. Gouws quickly bounced back, winning the next two sets 6-3, 7-5 as the entire team cheered him on all the way to the finish.
Liberty Men’s Tennis will move on to its next two games at home against UNC Charlotte Friday, Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. and Georgia State Sunday, Feb. 9 at 1 p.m.
Clardy is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.