After weeks of dominating opponents by scores of 7-0 and 6-1, the men's tennis team met its first challenges of the season in Virginia over the weekend. No. 65 Brown let a match slide 4-3 to No. 48 University of Louisville on Saturday, then bounced back on Sunday to grab a 4-3 win over No. 51 Virginia Tech.
"It's a totally different world," said co-captain Dan Hanegby '07 of competing against ranked opponents. "It was the first time we've been pushed. We were tested in every spot."
The Cardinals may have tested the Bears in doubles play, but Brown still swept the doubles matches to seize the doubles point. The No. 25-ranked team of Hanegby and Chris Lee '09 took the first doubles match by a score of 8-7. At second doubles, the No. 15-ranked duo of co-captain Eric Thomas '07 and Basu Ratnam '09 triumphed 9-7, while Saurabh Kohli '08 and Zach Pasanen '07 won the third doubles match 8-5.
"We came out with a lot of energy in doubles," Lee said.
The Bears followed up their doubles victories by dropping the first four singles matches. At first singles, No. 82 Hanegby fell to No. 71 Slavko Radman 6-3, 6-1. Thomas, Kohli and Ratnam also had straight-set losses at second, third and fourth singles, respectively. Pasanen gave the Bears a win at fifth singles, overpowering Kenneth Nordheim 6-2, 6-2. At sixth singles, Lee earned a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Chris Herrlinger, leaving the final match score at 4-3.
"We had a very good chance to pull out a win," Hanegby said. "But the top guys in the singles lineup - me, Eric, Saurabh and Basu - we didn't step up, and that's probably why we lost."
Though match play was finished for the day, the Bears were not - instead, they put in a full hour of practice to prepare for the Hokies.
"Obviously, after the first match we were disappointed," Kohli said. "(Head Coach Jay Harris) told us to come out with more fire the next day, and that's exactly what we did."
The Bears captured the doubles point from Virginia Tech to gain an early edge. After Hanegby and Lee dropped the first doubles match 8-6, the second doubles pair of Thomas and Ratnam won an 8-6 match against Yoann Re and Alexei Sergeev. At third doubles, Kohli and Pasanen defeated Brandon Corace and Albert Larregola 8-6.
"Our doubles lineup is really deep right now," Lee said. "We've been working on doubles the past few weeks to make sure we win the doubles points."
Singles play posed greater challenges to the Bears. At third singles, Ratnam lost 6-2, 6-2 to Re, and at fifth singles, Pasanen fell 7-6, 7-3 to Pedro Graber, tipping the total match score in the Hokies' favor. Lee evened the score at 2-2 with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Sergeev at sixth singles. Then, Thomas defeated No. 87-ranked Nicolas Delgado 6-4, 7-6 at first singles, advancing the Bears to 3-2. "Thomas played a very good match," Hanegby said.
At second singles, Hanegby lost 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 to No. 70 Larregola, and the score remained even at 3-3.
"(Larregola) was very good," Hanegby said. "And I just couldn't get into the match. I had my chances, but I didn't capitalize on my opportunities."
The decision rested on the fourth singles match between Kohli and Corace. Kohli dismantled Corace early on, taking the first set 6-0, but he gave up a close second set by a score of 7-5.
"I guess I had a mental lapse," Kohli said.
After bringing the third set to an even 5-5, Kohli served his way to a 6-5 advantage, and then broke Corace to win the set 7-5.
"It was fun," Kohli said. "I knew the match was coming down to me. Everyone gathered around my court, and the guys really helped me through it."
With Kohli's win, the Bears beat the Hokies 4-3.
The Bears credit their solid play over the weekend to the work they have devoted to doubles. "We're very solid in doubles," Hanegby said. "Without exaggerating, we have one of the best doubles lineups in the country. It gives us a lot of confidence."
Having such a powerful doubles lineup especially gives Brown an edge in 4-3 decisions, when the doubles matches become crucial.
"The doubles point can be the key point of the match," Lee said. "It can determine the winner. Our goal this season was not to lose a single doubles point."
The Bears are on the right track so far, having won all their doubles points this season, and they look to continue collecting doubles points this week. After Brown finishes up its action in Virginia with a match against the College of William and Mary, they will head back to Providence to host the United States Naval Academy and the State University of New York at Buffalo in a doubleheader on Saturday.
The Bears' strategy for winning is simple. "We hope we come out fighting, win the doubles point, and continue that momentum in singles," Kohli said.
