KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Depth in singles play proved to be crucial for Carson-Newman men's tennis as the Eagles knocked off Tennessee Wesleyan 5-2 at the Knoxville Racquet Club Saturday afternoon.
Losing at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, C-N was able to use the quartet of Nos. 3-6 singles in Marc Janse (Zeewolde, Netherlands), Julian Froehlich (Kobenz, Austria), Gabriel Dabdab (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Ids Waterbolk (Bennekom, Netherlands) to rally off four points to safely clinch the match.
It is the first win in program history against the Bulldogs (3-2), having previously dropped the past six meetings between the two sides. For the Eagles (5-1), their impressive start to the season continues to make marks as the team's best start in the modern era.
Winning the opening doubles point for the third-straight match, the pairings of Hugo Castets (Gradigan, France) and Dabdab were able to take down the duo of Valentin Popescu and Gregorio Magnarelli 6-2. Janse and Rintaro Oka (Narita, Japan) defeated Patricio Gallegos and Jesus Fernandez 6-0.
The trio of Janse (6-4, 7-5); Froehlich (6-4, 7-6) and Waterbolk (6-0, 6-1) were able to claim singles victories in straight sets, while Dabdab's three-set thriller went the way of the Eagles, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.
With another win picked up, Waterbolk remains the only Eagle undefeated on the season individually at 6-0 across Nos. 4, 5 and 6 singles.
With the loss, the Bulldogs have lost two of their last three, respectively, and will look to get back on track when they head to Milligan Friday.
Fortunately for C-N's athletes, a 10-day break awaits the team before the beginning of South Atlantic Conference play against Wingate on March 4.
