Saturday, April 5, William and Mary men’s tennis (5-11, 2-4 CAA) was outmatched at home, falling to a Coastal Athletic Association foe, Delaware (12-6, 3-0 CAA) 6-1 at the Mackesy Tennis Center in Williamsburg, Va. Although the Tribe entered the afternoon having won two of its previous three matches, the Green and Gold couldn’t overcome the Blue Hens, who had won five of their last six.
Before play began, the Green and Gold honored its outgoing seniors for their contributions to the team, recognizing players Alexander Karman, Sean Joseph and manager Viet Nguyen.
The day started with doubles matches. Sophomore Nikita Bortnichek and freshman Raz Katz headlined on the No. 1 court, Joseph and freshman Gur Trakhtenberg on the No. 2 court and sophomore Oliver Hague and junior Albert Hansen on the No. 3 court.
In the first doubles match, Bortnichek and Katz were outclassed from beginning to end, falling to the Blue Hens’ No. 1 team 6-1 in seven quick games. Hague and Hansen also fell short in their match, losing 6-2 in a similarly rapid fashion. Joseph and Trakhtenberg’s match went unfinished, as Delaware had clinched the doubles point.
The Tribe’s struggles continued in the singles portion of the afternoon. On the No. 1 court, Trakhtenberg lost a hard-fought battle against Delaware freshman Piotr Siekanowicz in three sets. After dropping the first set 6-3, Trakhtenberg fought back in the second, winning 6-3 as a result of his craftsmanship with slices, dropshots and serve-volleys. However, Siekanowicz used aggressive baseline tactics to win the final set 6-4.
The match on the No. 2 court was a different story, as Hague defeated Delaware senior Karol Malirz in a three-set thriller. After dropping the first set 6-4, Hague mounted an inspired comeback, winning the second set 6-3 and the third set 6-4. It would stand as William and Mary’s lone victory of the day.
The No. 3 match marked another tough loss for the Tribe, as Delaware junior Tobey Lock defeated Bortnichek in three sets. Bortnichek started strong, with his consistent shot placement and fast movement across the court securing him the first set by a score of 6-3. Unfortunately, his momentum would soon fade. Lock emerged victorious in the second set, winning 6-1, before taking the third by a score of 6-2.
The No. 4 match featured an impressive display of endurance, as both Hansen and Delaware junior Euan Mackenzie battled through several long rallies. However, Hansen eventually fell in three intense sets.
Hansen started strong, taking the first set by a score of 6-4 due to his high levels of energy and clever shot placement. With the score even at 4-4 in the second set, Mackenzie found his rhythm and secured two consecutive points to capture the set. The final set was less competitive, with Mackenzie taking it 6-1.
The No. 5 match saw Delaware senior Alexandre Gluck beat Joseph in straight sets. Although Joseph stayed within striking distance thanks to his heavy top-spin forehand and powerful serve, it was not enough to overcome Gluck, who beat Joseph 6-3, 6-4.
The No. 6 match, which featured Katz and Delaware freshmen Itamar Tapiro, again did not go the way of the Tribe. Tapiro came out on top of a hard-fought first set, winning 6-4. Having gained momentum, he proceeded to shut out Katz 6-0 in the second set, wrapping up Delaware’s dominant match victory.
In the wake of its struggles, William and Mary looked to turn the corner Sunday, April 6, when the Green and Gold traveled to face Virginia Commonwealth University (9-9, 2-1 A10) at the Thalhimer Tennis Center in Richmond, Va. Despite its best efforts, the Green and Gold was overpowered again, losing 6-1 for the second day in a row.
Bortnichek and Katz again started off the Tribe’s day in the No. 1 doubles match. Despite winning a second game this time around, the pair was defeated by a score of 6-2.
In the second doubles match, Joseph and Trakhtenberg picked up the Tribe’s only doubles victory of the weekend, defeating the Rams’ team of freshmen Nicolo Consonni and Gevorg Mnatsakanyan 6-4. After a back-and-forth first couple of games, the Tribe duo outplayed its VCU counterpart, pulling ahead to win the match by two.
The third doubles match was a hotly-contested battle between the Tribe team of Hague and Hansen and Rams team of junior Alfred Almasi and freshman Leon Zaorski. Both teams traded games as the match began, but the VCU pair ultimately pulled ahead to win 6-4 and secure their team the doubles point.
The Green and Gold hoped to turn its fortunes around in the singles portion of the match but again came up short.
After losing the first set in the No. 1 singles match, Trakhtenberg appeared to begin mounting a comeback in the second set, but VCU senior German Samofalov eventually dispatched Trakhtenberg 6-2, 6-4.
Hague suffered a similar fate in the second singles match, losing 6-3, 6-1 to Consonni. On the No. 3 court, Bortnichek also lost in straight sets, falling 6-1, 6-3 to Almasi. Neither Katz nor Karmen managed to win a set on the No. 5 or No. 6 court, and VCU cruised to a lopsided match victory.
William and Mary’s lone bright spot came on the No. 4 court when Hansen defeated VCU freshman Kostiantyn Mantach 7-6 (5), 4-3. After Mantach retired midway through the second set, the result of the match was already decided. Hansen’s sole win marked his eighth of the season in the No. 4 singles slot and earned the Tribe its only points of the day in Richmond.
Following its disappointing weekend, the Green and Gold will look to bounce back Friday, April 11, when it travels to College Park, Md. to take on Georgetown (6-12, 2-4 Big East) at the Junior Tennis Center.
