Links: Box Score
SYOSSET, N.Y. – For the first time in school history, the Merrimack College men's tennis program defeated regional power NYIT, 5-2, on Saturday night in an indoor match played at Sportime Syosset in Syosset, N.Y. The Bears entered the evening as the third-ranked program in the East Region per the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings while Merrimack began the night as the No. 5 team in the poll.
Merrimack beat a Bears program that has reached the NCAA Tournament in ever season since 2012, and emerged from the East Regional to reach the Round of 16 in five straight years from 2013-17. That run also included a NCAA Quarterfinalist finish in 2016. The Warriors own an impressive run of NCAA appearances of their own, reaching 11 straight East Regionals (2008-18).
After the Warriors swept the doubles portion of the match, junior
Denis Davydov set the tone with a dominant straight-sets (6-4, 6-1) win at No. 1 singles over the fourth-ranked player in the region. Freshman
Andre Singer clinched the victory at sixth singles, 6-1 and 6-2.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 5, NYIT 2
Records: Merrimack (3-4) | NYIT (2-3)
Location: Sportime Syosset | Syosset, N.Y.
Results
Doubles
Singles
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1. Denis Davydov (MERM) def. Castaldo, Nicolas (NYITM) 6-4, 6-1 |
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2. Caldas, Francisco (NYITM) def. Jonathan Garcia (MERM) 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) |
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3. Alex Fedorov (MERM) def. Espiniella, Diego (NYITM) 6-2, 6-2 |
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4. Fernandez, Sergio (NYITM) def. A. Mackay Rodriguez (MERM) 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-3 |
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5. Conrad Koch (MERM) def. Huynh, Kevin (NYITM) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) |
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6. Andre Singer (MERM) def. Kolkhorst, Matthew (NYITM) 6-1, 6-2 |
Rapid Recap
- In doubles, Merrimack's second pairing of junior Alex Fedorov and freshman Jonathan Garcia made quick work of their opposition, winning by a 6-1 margin. Third doubles finished next, with the duo of freshmen Marshall Wood and Alec Mackay Rodriguez clinching the point for the visitors with a 6-4 triumph
- First doubles went to a tiebreaker, with Davydov and freshman Conrad Koch fighting to sweep the three matches. The combination achieved just that, claiming an 8-6 win in the breaker to win the flight, 7-6
- Davydov – the No. 11 singles player in the region – dispatched NYIT's Nicolas Castaldo by two games in his opener before faltering just once in the second set to win the team's first singles point
- Fedorov's victory at third singles (6-2, 6-2) moved Merrimack within a point of the match, but the Bears followed with three-set wins at second and fourth singles to make it a 3-2 contest. Singer's match ended first, with the newcomer dropping just three combined games (6-1, 6-2) to guarantee a Merrimack victory. Koch won the last match of the night, 6-3 and 7-6 (7-5), to collect the Warriors' fifth point of the evening at fifth singles
Up Next
Merrimack faces another regional foe tomorrow afternoon when the Warriors take on Saint Thomas Aquinas at 12 p.m. The contest will be played indoors in Washington Township, N.J.
