LEBANON, N.J. – The Union College men's tennis team came a tiebreaker short of knocking off Division I Lafayette College in a non-conference matchup on Sunday evening, falling to the Leopards by a 4-3 score at Courtside Racquet Club.
 
Union earned three singles wins and one doubles victory on the day, and came a tiebreaker short at third doubles, second singles and sixth singles in matches that would have turned the tide in favor of the Garnet Chargers. First-years Solen Bellemare and Keita Fukushima led the way with a pair of victories each for Union (1-2).
 
Starting off in doubles play, the teams split a pair of 8-5 matches, with Bellemare and Fukushima taking down Ryan Burns and Jake Magnusson while senior Dimitris Binopoulos and Ben Jacobs fell to Arman Ganchi and Nick McKenzie by the same score. The doubles point came down to the third flight, where junior Seth Prusko and first-year Daniel Saxe came up two points short to Sam Gelber and Derrin Lerner, 8-7 (8-6).
 
The Garnet Chargers picked up three wins in singles play, but came a tiebreaker short in two others contests. Fukushima completed his undefeated day by defeating Magnusson, 8-2, at third singles, followed by Bellemare's second win of the afternoon with an 8-4 fifth-singles win over Gelber. Saxe defeated Lerner at fourth singles as well by an 8-5 score.
 
Two others matches went to tiebreakers, but both went the way of the Leopards. McKenzie outlasted Jacobs by an 8-7 (8-6) score at second singles, while Burns got the best of Prusko in a tiebreaker, 8-7 (8-4).
 
Union will return to action on Saturday with its first home match of the spring against Trinity (Conn.) College at 3 p.m.