ELGIN, Ill. — Sophomore Josh Friesen won five of the last six points with the team match on his racket, turning a 3-2 hole into a 7-4 win in a third-set tiebreaker at no. 5 singles as the Goshen College men's tennis team eked out a 4-3 win over Judson University on Thursday. Judson took the women's match 6-1.
Friesen's win capped a comeback that saw the Maple Leafs (2-0) win each of the last three matches off the courts at the Elgin Academy, joining Hermes Flores and Filippo Bigardi in turning the tables for the second win in as many days.
Bigardi was the team's lone double winner, pairing with Luke Rush to post a 6-4 win at no. 3 singles before the Eagles (0-1) took the remaining two spots to earn the doubles point. Chris Kerswell and Chris Veltkamp gave the hosts the final win there, winning 7-4 in the tiebreak at the top position to finish the segment.
Judson took a 2-0 lead in the team match when Kerswell posted a 6-1, 6-2 win at the no. 2 singles spot, before Danny Boussom put Goshen on the board with a win of the same score one position lower. Dimitri Ingrassia won his first set in a tiebreak and took the second set with a last-chance break of serve to put the Eagles within one match of victory at 3-1.
The Maple Leafs, however, had other ideas.
Bigardi reduced the arrears to 3-2 with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Veltkamp at the top spot and Hermes Flores leveled the score with a 6-4, 6-2 win at the lowest position. Friesen's win in the only three-set match of the afternoon gave GC its third straight win over the Eagles.
Kyra Krall was a double winner in her first appearance of the season for the Maple Leaf women, getting a 6-3 win alongside Elsie Koop Liechty in the third doubles match before prevailing in singles action as well. Unlike the men's match, the women's match had no doubles comeback as the same team won the first and third matches, but the doubles point also came down to a tiebreaker at no. 1 with Judson winning 7-3.
The Eagle women (1-0) won each of the four matches in the first wave as the teams played on four courts at the JU campus: every singles match ended in straight sets with Sarah Hinshaw and Hannah McCoy forcing tiebreakers.
Krall won her first set 6-3 and her second 6-0 at no. 6 singles, topping Hannah Womack.
Both Goshen teams have Friday off before returning to the court Saturday to wrap up the season's opening week with a third match in four days. The Maple Leafs host Grace at 11 a.m. at the John Ingold Athletic Complex.
Men: Judson 4, Goshen 3
Singles:
1. Filippo Bigardi (GC) def. Chris Veltkamp 6-3, 6-2
2. Chris Kerswell (JU) def. Juan Miguel Ciudad 6-1, 6-2
3. Danny Boussom (GC) def. Augustine Lestelle Dit Olive 6-1, 6-2
4. Dimitri Ingrossia (JU) def. Martim Cafe 7-6(4), 7-5
5. Josh Friesen (GC) def. Hugo La Hei 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4)
6. Hermes Flores (GC) def. Marcus Berg 6-4, 6-2
Doubles: Judson won team point, 2-1
1. Kerswell/Veltkamp (JU) def. Boussom/Ciudad 7-6(4)
2. Ingrossia/Lestelle Dit Olive (JU) def. Cafe/Friesen 6-4
3. Bigardi/Luke Rush (GC) def. Berg/La Hei 6-4
Women: Judson 6, Goshen 1
Singles:
1. Sofia Garza (JU) def. Sarah Hinshaw 6-0, 7-6(3)
2. Liz Medina (JU) def. Victoria Oakes 6-2, 6-2
3. Lauren Janecek (JU) def. Hannah McCoy 6-1, 7-6(5)
4. Georgia Redmond (JU) def. Anna Osborne 6-2, 6-0
5. Katelynn Coleman (JU) def. Ashley Arroyo 6-0, 6-1
6. Kyra Krall (GC) def. Hannah Womack 6-3, 6-0
Doubles: Judson won team point, 2-1
1. Garza/Medina (JU) def. Oakes/Osborne 7-6(3)
2. Janecek/Redmond (GC) def. Hinshaw/McCoy 6-1
3. Elsie Koop Liechty/Krall (GC) def. Coleman/Womack 6-3
