GULF SHORES, Ala. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's tennis team dropped a narrow battle with University of Wisconsin-Superior, 4-3, Thursday, March 13. With the loss, IWU stumbles to 3-6, while UWS ups its record for 4-9.
Juniors Ian Turnbull (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington) and Ben Vigneri (Casper, Wyo.-Phillips Exeter Academy) captured the lone win for the Titans in doubles play. The duo took the top paired spot, 6-4. IWU could not muster another win in doubles, dropping the one point decision.
Vigneri stayed hot in singles play, as he garnered a win at No. 2 singles behind set scores of 6-3, 6-2. Fifth-year Ryan McCoy (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Rolling Meadows) notched the win at No. 3 singles, winning with set scores of 6-1, 6-2. Sophomore Thad Dillow (Effingham, Ill.-Effingham) needed some extra time to secure the win at No. 4 individuals. Dillow took the first set 7-6 behind a 7-5 tiebreaker win, before dropping the second, 6-3. He responded in the super tiebreaker, winning it 10-5 to hammer home his win.
Illinois Wesleyan could not pull out another victory, falling 4-3. The Titans conclude their spring break trip and will return to nearby courts, traveling to Elsah, Ill., Saturday, March 23. IWU will play two matches at Principia College, kicking off the day against Monmouth College at 12:30 p.m. The Green and White will conclude the day with a 4 p.m. dual with Principia.
Singles competition
1. Igor Guetten Chaves (UWSM) def. Turnbull, Ian (IWU) 6-1, 6-4
2. Vigneri, Ben (IWU) def. Yash Chhabra (UWSM) 6-3, 6-2
3. McCoy, Ryan (IWU) def. Mateo Abarca Pino (UWSM) 6-1, 6-2
4. Dillow, Thad (IWU) def. Vitor Sakakibara (UWSM) 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 1-0 (10-5)
5. Brandon Chu (UWSM) def. Hammond, Griffin (IWU) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
6. Blake Haugen (UWSM) def. Tomecki, Chase (IWU) 0-6, 6-0, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Turnbull, Ian/Vigneri, Ben (IWU) def. Yash Chhabra/Sharan Kanugovi (UWSM) 6-4
2. Igor Guetten Chaves/Vitor Sakakibara (UWSM) def. McCoy, Ryan/Dillow, Thad (IWU) 6-3
3. Blake Haugen/Brandon Chu (UWSM) def. Hammond, Griffin/Tomecki, Chase (IWU) 6-0
