WALTHAM - The Tufts University men's tennis team won a tightly contested match to open its spring season today, defeating host Brandeis 5-4.
Brandeis (3-6) jumped out to a 2-1 lead after doubles action. Tufts (2-0) won the first of three matches at No. 2, where senior tri-captain Mark Westerfield (Menlo Park, CA) and freshman Nick Telkedzhiev (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) won 8-4. However, Brandeis seniors Josh Jordan and Steven Milo prevailed, 8-5, at No. 1. In the final match, senior Dave Yovanoff and rookie Danny Lubarsky took a tiebreaker at No. 3, 9-8 (7-5) to give the Judges the advantage headed into singles.
In the first round of singles play, Tufts senior tri-captain Andrew Lutz (Baltimore, MD) downed Brandeis's Mitch Krems, 6-0, 6-3, in the quickest match of the day at #3. In No. 1 singles, Milo gave the Judges their third win with a late break in each set, 7-5, 6-4. Second singles saw the first of three three-set matches of the day, as Telkedzhiev downed Jordan, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, evening the match at 3-3.
In the second round of singles matches, Tufts sophomore Brian Tan (Orinca, CA) moved the visitors within one point of victory with a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 6 singles over Lubarsky. Tan trailed in the second set, 4-2, but won the final four games to emerge with the victory. Brandeis sophomore Alec Siegel outlasted Tufts junior Austin Blau (Roslyn, Ny) in three sets. Blau took the first set, 6-1, but Siegel won the next two, 6-4, 6-4. In the third set, Siegel jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but Blau won two in a row before Siegel won the match with a service break.
That left Yovanoff and Tufts rookie Rob Jacobson (Winnetka, IL) at fifth singles. Jacobson took the first set in a tie-breaker, 7-6 (7-3), but Yovanoff made an early second-set break hold up to win, 6-4. The two held serve through the first seven games of the third set before Jacobson earned a break at 15-40 to go ahead, 5-3. He went on to clinch the match on his serve at 40-15 on a service winner.
The Jumbos are in California next week for five matches, starting with Chapman University on Tuesday. Brandeis returns to action next Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm against cross-town rival Bentley College.
Singles
1. Steven Milo (B) def. Ben Barad (T) 7-5, 6-4
2. Nick Telkedzhiev (T) def. Josh Jordan (B) 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
3. Andrew Lutz (T) def. Mitch Krems (B) 6-0, 6-3
4. Alec Siegel (B) def. Austin Blau (T) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4
5. Rob Jacobson (T) def. David Yovanoff (B) 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-3
6. Brian Tan (T) def. Danny Lubarsky (B) 7-5, 6-4
Doubles
1. Josh Jordan/Steven Milo (B) def. Ben Barad/Rob Jacobson (T) 8-5
2. Mark Westerfield/Nick Telkedzhiev (T) def. Mitch Krems/Alec Siegel (B) 8-4
3. Danny Lubarsky/David Yovanoff (B) def. Andrew Lutz/Matt Pataro (T) 9-8 (7-5)
Team Records:
Tufts University 2-0
Brandeis 3-6
Order of finish:
Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,1,2,6,4,5)
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Match recap courtesy of Brandeis University
