MERION STATION, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's men's tennis team fell to Fordham on Saturday, 4-3, in a tight contest at the SJU Tennis Complex.
The visitors grabbed the early advantage by taking the doubles point with a pair of victories. Senior Andre Fick and sophomore Johnnie Massart earned a win in the third flight, taking a 6-3 result from Lutwin de Macar and Alex Makatsaria.
In singles play, the Hawks came out on top in three matches, including the top two flights. Sophomore Nathan Perrone rolled past Fabian Mauritzson, 6-2, 6-0, in the first flight, while Fick outlasted Max Green, 7-6 (7), 7-5 in the second. Junior Beekman Schaeffer also notched a win, taking his sixth-flight matchup, 6-3, 6-2, over Jeremy Chung.
Unfortunately for the Crimson and Gray, the Rams were able to earn wins in the other three flights to secure the overall match victory.
“It was a great battle between both teams, and had to wait until the last match to be resolved,” assistant coach Marc Pibernat said. “Unfortunately, it did not go our way. As a coach, I really think that we need to emphasize staying focused for the length of the match. We are still checking out mentally during some moments of the match, and we are paying a very high price for it, so this will be our main focal point moving forward, starting against St. Bonaventure tomorrow.”
The Hawks will host the Bonnies on Sunday, with play beginning at 11:00 a.m. at the SJU Tennis Complex.
Fordham 4, Saint Joseph's 3
Doubles
1. Fabian Mauritzson / Allen Thornes (FOR) def. Beekman Schaeffer / Dan Tan (SJU), 6-3
2. Max Green / Finn Kemper (FOR) def. Eshan Kanetkar / Nathan Perrone (SJU), 6-4
3. Andre Fick / Johnnie Massart (SJU) def. Lutwin de Macar / Alex Makatsaria (FOR), 6-3
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles
1. Perrone (SJU) def. Mauritzson (FOR), 6-2, 6-0
2. Fick (SJU) def. Green (FOR), 7-6 (7), 7-5
3. Kemper (FOR) def. Massart (SJU), 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
4. de Macar (FOR) def. Tan (SJU), 6-3, 6-3
5. Makatsaria (FOR) def. Kanetkar (SJU), 6-3, 6-1
6. Schaeffer (SJU) def. Jeremy Chung (FOR), 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish: 5, 1, 4, 6, 3, 2
Game Scores
Singles: Fordham 58, Saint Joseph's 57
Doubles: Fordham 15, Saint Joseph's 13
Total: Fordham 73, Saint Joseph's 70
