The men's tennis team was unable to overcome yet another blow to its roster, dropping its match against Bates last Tuesday 7-2.
Earlier this month the team suffered a major loss when nationally-ranked sophomore Nik Telkedzhiev decided to quit; the adversity only continued for Tufts before its match, as it lost sophomore Rob Jacobson, who has played in the No. 1 position the whole regular season.
"While volunteering at the Special Olympics tennis event, I got hit in the eye with a tennis ball and have been recovering from a scratched cornea," Jacobson said. "I expect to return once I am healthy enough to do so."
Jacobson is unsure exactly when he will return to action, but there was one upside to the match: classmate Jay Glickman had fully recovered from a previous injury and returned to play. Glickman had missed the whole spring season, and after playing in the top-three positions during his debut season last year, it had been a difficult adjustment for the team to play without him at the top of its lineup.
Despite Glickman's return, the Jumbos were unable to overcome their other roster problems, and dropped into ninth position in the NESCAC with a 3-5 conference record and 7-7 record overall.
Newly restored at No. 1 singles, Glickman lost to Bates senior Timmy Berg 6-3, 6-1. In the fall, Glickman was able to post a winning record in the top spot, but in his first day back, the sophomore was just happy to be playing.
"I was excited to get back on the court and compete, but the loss hurt, as all losses do," Glickman said. "I was fortunate to have beaten [Berg] in the fall, but this time around, he played the better match.
The closest matches of the day were at No. 3 and No. 4 singles. Senior Austin Blau and junior co-captain Brian Tan both lost three-set matches. Blau took the first set from his Bates opponent, freshman Christopher Ellis, before losing 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Tan also won the first set against his Bobcat opponent, freshman Brent Feldman, but was unable to hold off Feldman in the final two sets, falling 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
Senior Zach Ladwig and sophomore Nick Cary rounded out the singles lineup at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, falling 7-5, 6-3 and 6-2, 7-5, respectively.
Despite the team-wide struggles in singles, the Jumbos started the day well, winning two doubles matches against their Bobcat counterparts.
At No. 2, doubles freshman Brad Wong, who usually pairs with Jacobson in doubles action, was paired with Tan. The new partnership proved fruitful as Wong and Tan won, 8-5.
"While Rob [Jacobson] may be the most passionate player on the team, Brian [Tan] and I showed some great chemistry and played solid doubles," Wong said. "Never once was I hesitant because I didn't have Rob on the deuce side. That's a great thing about our team: we have several capable players ready to step up."
Whether or not they will continue to play doubles together is still up in the air, but it was a fun experience for both of them.
"For our first college match together, I think we played very well," Tan said. "Once we found our rhythm, we were able to string a couple games in a row together and eventually win the match. It was really fun, and I think we can be a very good team."
Tufts also won the last doubles match of the day, which pitted Blau and Cary against Ellis and senior Erik Ruta, 8-6. Senior Matt Pataro and freshman Benjamin Battle were unable to complete the doubles sweep, falling at the No. 1 doubles position, 8-3.
This Friday, the Jumbos, who have now lost back-to-back matches, will try to turn around their fortunes with a non-conference match against the Brandeis Judges. The Jumbos have done well against the Judges in the past, winning their last three matchups
At the end of April, the team will compete in two crucial matches against NESCAC-foes Colby and Middlebury. Colby is 2-2 in conference play, with an 11-4 overall record. No.8-ranked Middlebury has a perfect 4-0-conference record and is 12-2 overall. As the only two NESCAC matches remaining this season, the Jumbos must grind out some wins if they hope to see their position in the standings rise.
"While these matches are extremely crucial, we'll treat them with the same intensity and focus as any other," Wong said. "In practices, we will need to train harder than ever and make sure we get the most out of every minute on court. Preparation is definitely key to success so that means eating right, stretching, and getting enough sleep."
After losing to Middlebury twice last year, including a hotly contested 5-4 defeat in which Tufts lost two tight matches, the team is hungry for another chance to play its NESCAC rival.
"Against Middlebury last year we were two points away from pulling off the upset," Tan said. "They have had a really good season as well, but we hope to put ourselves in the best position for the match."
