WINTER PARK, Fla. (April 7, 2024) - Men's tennis has had a phenomenal season this spring, and on Sunday they added a marquee victory to their resume with a resounding 4-3 win over #9 Barry, the reigning national champions. With the win, Rollins improves to 16-1 on the year and 5-1 against SSC opponents.
Playing in front of an energetic crowd that included many members of nearby Interlachen Country Club, the Tars got on the board early with a pair of wins in doubles play.
Court three was the firs to finish when
Efe Comu/
Richard Stoiberer cruised past Demichelis/Lynch with a 6-0 sweep. The point was then clinched on one as
Guillermo Castaneda/
Charlie Putrino worked past Caill/Ferreria, 6-3. Barry avoided a straight sweep with a 7-6 (4) battle on court two.
The Bucs equalized the score in singles play with a win on court three.
Luke Quaynor had the Tars back on top soon after though, taking down Alessio Demichelis on court two with a 6-2, 6-3 effort.
Castaneda then gave the Tars a bigger cushion with a victory on four. It took an extra set, but the senior eventually ended his day with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Tim Riedel.
The feature court saw two of the top players in the country going at it.
Efe Comu, ranked #15, claimed the first set, 7-5, but #33 Joao Ferreira matched him with a 7-5 win in set two. The point then went Barry's way as Ferreira took set three with a 6-1 effort.
Barry knotted the score at three a piece with a win on six as Leo Caill came back after dropping the first set to
Moritz Stenzer and winning the next two.
That put all eyes on court five where
Charlie Putrino and Bastien Rieme were locked in to an epic battle. Putrino jumped out to an early lead with a 6-3 win in set one, but Rieme battled back for a 7-6 (5) win in set two. In the third and final set, with the match on the line, Putrino showed incredible moxy, surviving multiple match points to keep the game going. At one point, he found himself down 2-5, but fought all the way back to 6-6, forcing a tiebreaker. In the extra play Putrino hung on for a 7-5 win, giving the Tars their first win against Barry since 2012.
Coach's Corner:
"What a full team effort today. Big thanks to the loud and supporting crowd today who came and saw one for the ages. I can't say enough about Chuck (Putrino). Down 2-5 in the third, and countless match points including 4 in a row at one point, he played as if the weight of the moment gave him strength. What else can I say, I mean the guy is class president, team co-captain, a 4.0 student, there's no box left unchecked. He's been through a lot of ups and downs in his collegiate career, and honestly no one has earned a moment like that more. This group is something special, and I just hope everyone can see that."
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Jay Friedman
Rollins has one more conference match on the schedule. On Friday, April 12, the Tars will host #11 Florida Southern at the Bert Martin Complex on campus. First serve is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
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