GOSHEN, Ind. — With at least a dozen players, nine matches, at least 96 games (usually far more) and several hours of the afternoon involved, it's fitting in some sarcastic way that a college tennis match would come down to one set at one position. Aritha Weerasinghe earned the victory in the deciding set at no. 4 singles and with it claimed the team match as Goshen defeated Indiana Wesleyan 5-4 in men's tennis competition Saturday.
The team match began at 11 a.m. with doubles play. The visiting Wildcats won 8-5 at no. 1 doubles just before a 90-minute rain delay, then won four games in a row to claim an 8-6 decision at no. 3. In dire need of a win to keep from falling into a 3-0 team hole, Balazs Pirot and Eric Zuercher rallied from down a break at 5-7 to tie their match and win 9-8(3) in a tiebreak.
Pirot and Luis Perez each took care of business in straight sets at the top two singles spots: so, too, did Vasanth Palanisamy at no. 6. That got the Maple Leafs to four team points, but the fifth one would not come easily. Jon Kaasa lost at no. 3 singles. At the fifth position, Zuercher dropped his first set 0-6, but battled back to send the second set to a tiebreak, eventually losing that to level the team score.
So Weerasinghe and Leonard Mathews were left to finish their match, with the winner also claiming a vital conference win for his team. Weerasinghe won the first set in a tiebreak before falling behind after a series of cramping issues in the second stanza. Mathews tied the match with a 6-1 set win.
Weerasinghe countered by winning four of the next five games, including a span of eight points in a row, before Mathews broke back to pull within 4-3. In front of a crowd that grew throughout the afternoon as the weather improved. Weerasinghe broke again on his opponent's serve and finished the match with two putaways at the net for a 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3 win.
Goshen moves to 2-0 on the season and 2-0 in Crossroads League play. The Wildcats drop to 0-2 overall and in conference play, having lost both matches by 5-4 scores to teams that started 2-0.
The Maple Leafs return to the court on Tuesday when they host Marian University, the team that knocked Goshen out of last year's conference tournament and handed Indiana Wesleyan its other loss. First serve is set for 4 p.m. at the Goshen College Tennis Complex.
More, including comments from Goshen coach Stan King, to come when available.
Complete Results: Goshen 5, Indiana Wesleyan 4
Singles:
1. Balazs Pirot (G) def. Gavin White 6-2, 6-2
2. Luis Perez (G) def. Brandon Dubuque 6-3, 6-1
3. Joel Montgomery (IW) def. Jon Kaasa 6-2, 6-4
4. Aritha Weerasinghe (G) def. Leonard Mathews 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
5. Tyler Abbott (IW) def. Eric Zuercher 6-0, 7-6(1)
6. Vasanth Palanisamy (G) def. Austin Christner 6-1, 6-4
Doubles:
1. White/Mathews (IW) def. Kaasa/Palanisamy 8-5
2. Pirot/Zuercher (G) def. Montgomery/Abbott 9-8(3)
3. Dubuque/Christner (IW) def. Perez/Weerasinghe 8-6
