ITHACA, N.Y. – The #60 Union College men's tennis team staged an incredible comeback to earn its first postseason victory in over two decades, roaring back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat fourth-seeded and #65 Rochester Institute of Technology in the first round of the Liberty League Tournament on Friday morning at Cornell University's Reis Tennis Center.
After dropping the doubles points and the first two singles matches, Union (11-9) stormed back to capture the final four flights and advance to the conference semifinals for the third time in program history and first since 2005. The fifth-seeded Garnet Chargers will take on top-seeded and #27 Vassar College tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.
"Today was an incredible battle and I'm proud that the guys trusted all the work that they've put in all spring," said head coach
Brian Bowman. "They have been a fantastic group all year and we're excited to keep the season going."
Union came a few points away earning the doubles points to start the day, but a second-singles tiebreaker went the way of RIT (9-11) after the teams split at the first and third flights. The hole grew deeper after the Tigers earned wins at first and fifth singles, but the match wasn't over yet.
Sophomore
Arhan Gupta set the groundwork for the comeback at third singles, coming from a set down to defeat Alec Turcotte, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0. Gupta held serve five times and earned the only break of the second set to keep the match going, then broke three straight times on the way to a flawless third frame.
First-year
Simon Philip continued the comeback with a hard-fought straight-set win at fourth singles, defeating Alexander Sinclair by a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) margin. He staged a mini-comeback of his own in the first set after falling behind 4-0, winning six straight games to take the lead. He broke Sinclair three times during a back-and-forth second set, including twice when his opponent had a chance to serve out the set at 5-4 and 6-5. With the tiebreaker knotted at three, Philip ran off three straight points before closing it out soon after.
Sophomore
Vivaan Gupta continued the momentum by knocking off Anjann Boorela in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 sixth-singles matchup. Gupta trailed 4-3 in the third after a Boorela break, but the sophomore broke right back to get back on serve. After an easy hold to take a 5-4 lead, he won four straight points to clinch the match and even the competition at three-all.
The match eventually came down to sophomore
Jesus Sosa at second singles, but by the time Gupta won at the sixth flight, Sosa had taken away most of the dramatics in his match with Evan Ly. After dropping the first set 7-5, Sosa took four of the last six games of the second set in a 6-3 win to send the match to a third. The sophomore then jumped out to a commanding 5-0 lead in the decisive frame, conceding just four points in the first four games combined. Up 5-1, Sosa dug himself out of a 15-40 hole to pick up the win and complete the comeback.
Union will look to keep the best season in program history going on Saturday, as the Garnet Chargers look for their first conference championship appearance in a battle with the top-seeded Brewers.
