SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College men's tennis team kicked off its 2023 spring season on Sunday afternoon, falling by an 8-1 score to Liberty League foe Vassar College at Sportime Tennis Club.
 
Sunday's match featured one team that was well rested against another that had already started the spring season hot: Union (1-1, 1-1 Liberty League) had not competed in a match since September 30, while Vassar (4-0, 3-0 Liberty League) was playing its third match in three days.
 
All three doubles matches were close, but the home team came up short to fall behind early. Senior Aidan O'Brien and sophomore Seth Prusko came up just short at first doubles, falling in a tiebreaker 8-7 (7-5) to Fernando Bauermeister and Nolak Kubiak. Junior Dimitris Binoipoulos and sophomore Ben Jacobs fell one break short in their second doubles match against Arnav Agostinho and Pedro Cattaruzzi, falling by an 8-6 margin. At third doubles, junior Bailey McAtee and sophomore Austin Gregory dropped an 8-5 match to Benjamin Almquist and Sigmund Winiecki.
 
Union did not have much luck in singles play, either, pulling out just one victory. O'Brien was the lone Union winner on the day, fighting back to defeat Agostinho in a supertiebreaker, 3-6, 6-4, (10-4). Both Jacobs and junior Khai Ton came close to forcing supertiebreakers in their respective matches, with Jacobs dropping a 6-4, 6-0 match to Almquist at second singles and Ton falling to Kubiak, 6-1, 6-4 at third singles.
 
Union will be back in action for two matches next weekend, beginning with a Saturday afternoon matchup at The College of New Jersey beginning at 1 p.m.