Flames Beat Queens 6-1 in ASUN Conference Opener
The Liberty Flames (2-1) took down the Queens Royals (0-4) on Wednesday evening by a score of 6-1 to open ASUN conference play at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center.
Liberty improves to 1-0 in the ASUN, and Queens fall to 0-1. The two teams were the first to open up ASUN Conference play for the 2023 season.
The Flames won their first doubles point of the season to start the day and claimed five of the six singles contests. Today’s match was the first ASUN appearance for Queens and the first meeting between the two squads on the tennis court.
Liberty 6, Queens 1
Singles Competition
- Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) def. CECERE, Edoardo (QUM) 6-1, 6-4
- BOTTINO, Edoardo (QUM) def. Beau Pelletier (LIBERTYM) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 1-0 (10-6)
- Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) def. STEVEKER, Win (QUM) 6-0, 6-1
- Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) def. BLICKWEDE, Laurenz (QUM) 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5)
- Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) def. ERCOLE, Fillipo (QUM) 6-1, 6-1
- Zion Heaven (LIBERTYM) def. GOSSELIN, Lukas (QUM) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles Competition
- Josh Wilson/Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) def. BOTTINO, Edoardo/BLICKWEDE, Laurenz (QUM) 6-3
- Beau Pelletier/Zion Heaven (LIBERTYM) vs. STEVEKER, Win/GOSSELIN, Lukas (QUM) 5-2, unfinished
- Luis Felipe Miguel/Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) def. CECERE, Edoardo/LYNES, Euan (QUM) 6-3
Liberty 2-1, 1-0 ASUN
Queens 0-4, 0-1 ASUN
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,5,3,1,4,2)
Official: B Harrison/J Conley T-2:34
How It Happened
• Liberty won two doubles matches with Liberty’s No. 1 pairing Josh Wilson and Christiaan Worst (6-3) and No. 3 pairing of Deji Thomas-Smith and Luis Felipe Miguel (6-3) finishing within moments of each other to earn the first point.
• The pair of Flames victories marked the first doubles wins and doubles point of the season.
• Liberty senior Zion Heaven was the first singles match to finish, with Heaven winning in the No. 6 position 6-0, 6-1 over the Royals’ Lukas Gosselein. Following Heaven’s victory, Felipe Miguel downed Filippo Ercole 6-1, 6-1 in the No. 5 position for the first ASUN victory of his career to give the Flames a 3-0 lead.
• The clinching point of the match came from Liberty’s No. 3 Deji Thomas-Smith, who won his match with Queens’ Win Steveker, dropping just one game, 6-0, 6-1.
• Wilson extended the Liberty lead to 5-0 with a 6-1, 6-4 result over the Royals’ Edoardo Cecere on court one.
• Liberty’s No. 4 singles player, Christiaan Worst, fought off a third set tiebreaker to win 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5) against Laurenz Lickwede.
• The Royals’ lone point of the afternoon came in the final match, as Edoardo Bottino came back to edge Beau Pelletier 3-6, 7-6 (3), 1-0 (10-6) on court two.
• This is the earliest the Flames have ever opened ASUN play. Liberty will not play another ASUN match until March 17 against Kennesaw State.
• The Flames improve to 3-1 in ASUN Conference openers and 4-0 in league home openers.
Next Up
• The Flames are on the road this weekend, playing in the 2023 ITA Kickoff Weekend. Liberty will face Kentucky on Friday at 1 p.m. at the Hilary J. Boone Indoor Center in Lexington, Ky. This is the third straight season the Flames have been invited to compete at ITA Kickoff Weekend, an event featuring the best collegiate programs in the nation.
• Liberty would face either Notre Dame or Washington on Saturday. That match will take place at either 11 a.m. or 3 p.m., depending on Friday’s result.
• Cracked Racquets will provide streaming coverage of 2023 ITA Kickoff Weekend through a CrossCourt Cast on its YouTube Channel.
Main Photo at Top of Story: Deji Thomas-Smith
