GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Davenport men's tennis team was back on the court for the first time October and had a heart-stopping finish in a 4-3 win over Tiffin on Sunday (Feb. 2) at MVP SportsPlex. The Panthers improve to 3-0 this season, while the Dragons are now 0-3.
The Panthers took care of business in doubles with all three matches in their favor for the team point.
Daniel Calver and
Jan Stolin at one doubles won 6-4 over Nico Ritz and Jose Portillo.
Carlos Henriquez and
Jaden Bender teamed up at two doubles for a 6-3 victory over Martin Driesner and Romain Marionneau. The third doubles pairing of
Reuben Bakker and
Simone Pacciolla had the widest margin with a 6-2 win over Lorenzo Perucchini and Mattia Colli.
Stolin cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win at one singles over Colli. Calver likewise had little trouble in a 6-2, 6-2 decision over Perucchini. The Dragons were able to tie the match at 3-3 after wins in the three, four, and five singles matches. Pacciolla fought hard at four singles as he lost the first set 6-2 and then won the second set in a tiebreak 7-6. He did fall however 6-4 in the third and final set. The match hinged on six singles as Henriquez had to dig deep against Romain Nicolas. Nicolas won the first set 6-4, but then Henriquez rallied for a 7-5, 6-3 finish and the team's clinching point.
