The men's tennis team, which finished the 2001 season one game under .500, is off to an unblemished 2002 campaign after its first four contests. In games against Brandeis, Connecticut College, Wesleyan, and MIT, the Jumbos have not yet lost a singles match.
"The team as a whole is playing really strong," said freshman Adam Yates, the number six player. "We are rolling over these other teams."
Despite the team's early success, coach Tim Watson remains humble and pleasantly surprised. Watson said he thought that Tuesday's game against MIT, which the Jumbos won 7-0, would prove a bigger hurdle. "I was hoping to get out with a 4-3 win," he said. "It's just a tribute to the way the team is playing."
In that game, the team earned the doubles point, as junior Dave Ruttenberg and freshman Rifat Perahya won 8-6, and senior co-captain Mark Fitzgerald and sophomore Jon Bram were victorious 8-3.
Watson was particularly pleased with the win, since it was the first time in five years Tufts has defeated MIT. "It's a very good sign," he said.
Spearheading the team's success has been Ruttenberg, the team's number one player, who dominated his opponent, Jeff Augustyn, 6-1, 6-1 Tuesday.
"He has multiple offensive [tools]," Watson said. "He is extremely quick at the net and has the best hands of anyone I have ever coached here."
In addition to Ruttenberg's prowess, the presence of Yates and Perahya has improved the squad enormously by adding depth and talent.
"I think Rifat and I as freshman can be a strong addition to the team," Yates said. "We can help bring back the glory to the Tufts tennis team."
Hailing from Istanbul, Turkey, Perahya has already assumed the number two position on the team. "Rifat is very match-tough," Watson said. "He has been very well coached in Turkey. We now have a bona fide number two."
Perahya defeated Andy Kolesnikov 6-3, 6-2 on Tuesday.
Though Tufts had already secured victory by winning its first five singles matches, Lang continued to play hard, emerging with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6.
The success of this team has fueled its confidence. "Now we are on such a roll that everyone feels that he can win," Yates said.
The team plays at Middlebury Friday, followed by its biggest match of the year against Williams on Saturday at 1pm on the Votre Courts.
