RACINE, Wis. – The Carleton College men's tennis team improved to 5-0 on the season after rallying for a 5-4 triumph at Carthage College, the No. 10-ranked team in the Central Region. The Knights trailed 4-2 but were able to win the last three singles matches of the day to pull out the victory.
"It was a remarkable match and showcased our determination," said Carleton head coach
Stephan Zweifel. "I was unsure if we could battle back after the doubles heartbreak, but I believe I was able to inspire the guys with my story of overcoming the hardship of having to send text messages on a flip phone at the turn of the century."
The Knights were down multiple breaks in all three doubles matches but fought back to send each to a tiebreaker. Carthage won two of them, but
Aniketh Vipparla (Jr./Cary, N.C./Green Hope) and
Yuv Kataria (Jr./Kolkata, India/Weil Academy & College Prep) prevailed at No. 3 doubles by an 8-7 (7-4) score.
Trailing 2-1 heading into singles play, Carleton tied the match when
Tarm Rojanasoonthon (So./Bangkok, Thailand/Chulalongkorn), the No. 21-ranked singles player in the nation, cruised to a 6-0, 6-3 victory atop the lineup.
Carthage claimed the next two singles matches to finish to build a 4-2 lead. With the Knights' collective backs to the wall,
Zach Leslie (Fy./Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn),
Cooper Kline (Fy./Los Angeles, Calif./The Buckley School), and
Tate Fuller (So./Seattle, Wash./Lakeside) came to the rescue.
Leslie picked up a 6-4, 6-3 result at No. 4 singles before Kline rallied from a set down to win at No. 6 singles by a 1-6, 6-2, 1-0 (12-10) tally, a match that saw the Carleton rookie overcome deficits of 5-0 and 9-6 in the third set tiebreaker.
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That left the team result to be determined by the No. singles match where Fuller secured a 7-5, 6-4 victory.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will face another stiff test on Sunday, Feb. 5 as the Knights visit University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the No. 7 team in the region and No. 34 squad in the nation.
