Video: Gjorgji Jankulovski Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – As they looked to rebound after dropping their first match in three weeks, Carson-Newman men's tennis hosted the Austin Peay Governors on Thursday for an afternoon matinee from Mossy Creek. As the sun was shining and the breeze was blowing, it was the home team Eagles taking the 6-1 victory and getting back on the right track in 2022.
The Eagles (8-3, 2-0 SAC) hosted the Governors (3-4, 0-0 OVC) in hopes on securing their eighth win of the spring and second straight over the DI foe after taking the narrow 4-3 win to start off the 2020-21 season.
With the win, C-N moved into possession of eight wins in the spring, a feat which has not occurred in Mossy Creek since the 2010-11 season when the Eagles would finish 8-10.
Thursday saw doubles action take to the courts of the Buddy Catlett Tennis Complex first as C-N would hold the early advantage after taking two of the three matches and the 1-0 advantage.
In a switch-up from head coach Jim Frederick, in number two doubles, the pairing of Marc Janse (Zeewolde, Netherlands) and Lars Hordijk (Dordrecht, South Holland) got on the right track to start the day as they easily handled business, winning 6-1.
Then, in the second part of the switch-up saw number one doubles compile of Ids Waterbolk (Bennekom, Netherlands) and Gjorgji Jankulovski (Macedonia). The duo had been off to a strong start in 2022, going 9-1 prior to Thursday, but were unable to keep their momentum rolling as they dropped a heartbreaking 7-5 result as the doubles point would be decided from number three position.
"Doubles match was pretty tough as we lost from number one," freshman Gjorgji Jankulovski said. "But we won the doubles point which is what matters."
Finally, in number three doubles, Marnix Van Dalen (Netherlands) and Rintaro Oka wrapped up the doubles point for the Eagles as they got off to a 4-0 lead before having their Governors opponents rally back to make it 5-5 at one moment. However, C-N captured the composure and won two straight games to win 7-5 and give the Eagles a 1-0 advantage on the scoreboard as singles action would commence.
Singles competition saw the Eagles claim five of the six matches, as they suffered a setback in number one singles.
As the lead grew to 2-0 in favor of C-N, it was Marc Janse claiming the win at number two singles by scores of 6-3, 6-1. Janse has continued to be one of the leaders of this year's program as he stands at 9-2 in 2022 for all singles action.
From there, Lars Hordijk built upon the Eagles lead, as he would make it 3-0 Eagles with a win from number five singles by scores of 6-3, 6-2. In his first official spring with the team on the courts, Hordijk is 9-2 in singles play.
The wins kept rolling in for C-N as number four singles would finish next as it would be another showstopper, Gjorgji Jankulovski, pulling out another win for his spring season total. With final scores of 7-5, 6-1, the freshman would also be the match clincher for C-N as they moved ahead 4-0 on the day as Jankulovski moves his singes record to 7-4 in 2022.
"I had a rough start but after that, I won the match and rallied to help defeat a Division I school," Jankulovski said. "I'm not surprised we won because we have been practicing for this and now we're ready for conference and any match in the future."
The day got even better for the Eagles as Rintaro Oka would capture another win for the day, making it 5-0, as he competed in number three singles. As he moved to 6-4 overall in singles, the Japan native collected final scores of 6-2, 6-4 to avenge his loss to APSU's Damberg from two seasons ago.
The one misstep in C-N not claiming a clean sweep came from number one singles as the visiting Governors would pull out a two-set victory over C-N's Marnix Van Dalen. By scores of 6-4, 6-2, APSU saw Schloosmann defeat the C-N freshman and drop his overall record to 6-5 in 2022.
However, the tide quickly changed back to C-N as Ids Waterbolk would be the last Eagle in action as he played in number six singles. As he has been known for home court theatrics, the Netherlands native saw a three-set thriller occur in order to gain the final result. After winning the first set 6-2, Waterbolk would drop a close second set 6-7.
From there, he and his opponent would play in a 10-point tiebreaker as it was C-N claiming the final win of the day as Waterbolk won the deciding set 10-4 and moves to 9-2 overall to tie for the team lead in wins.
"I want everyone to come out when we play at home next. It feels nice to be a part of this team and I hope the wins keep coming for us," Jankulovski said.
The Eagles will look to continue their hot streak in SAC play as they hit the road for a Saturday afternoon matchup with the UVA Wise Highland Cavaliers on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. from the metropolis of Wise, Va.
Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman men's tennis via cneagles.com and on all social media accounts.
