The No. 2 ranked Emory men's tennis team (10-2) got its weekend started with a match against local foe Oglethorpe at the Woodruff P.E. Center on Friday. The Eagles started the weekend strong, topping the Stormy Petrels, 8-1, on their home courts.
The Eagles got off to a hot start, swiftly sweeping the doubles matches by a combined score of 24-4. Seniors Brandon Cohen and Ryan Glanville secured the first point for Emory on the day, taking down their opponents, 8-1, on court one. The seniors improve to 8-2 this season with the win.
Senior Nolan Shah and Dean Kamenev handled business on court two, also coming away with an 8-1 decision, improving their record this spring to 9-1. Senior Samuel Dean and freshman Christian Liew wrapped up the doubles portion of the afternoon, pulling away with an 8-3 win on court three. Liew and Dean's record now comes to 6-3 this spring, all coming in the No. 3 doubles position.
After sweeping the doubles matches, the Eagles entered the singles portion of the afternoon with a 3-0 lead.
Kamenev took the court in the No. 1 singles position, looking to snap a four-match losing streak on the singles court. The sophomore did just that, winning his match in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-3, to get back in the win column and put the Eagles on the brink of securing a victory. His record this spring now comes to 6-4.
Freshman Robinson Luo took the No. 6 singles position on Friday, his fourth time in the rotation for Emory this spring. The freshman made the most of his opportunity, earning the fifth and match-clinching point when he won in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-0. Luo improves to 3-1 on the season.
Three more Eagles secured singles wins after the match had been won. Freshman Ryan Nash played out of the No. 4 position on Friday, winning his match in straight sets, 6-0 and 6-3. This was just the rookies third match of the season, improving to 2-1 on the season.
Sophomore John Lasanajak pulled out a win, playing on court five. Lasanajak's match needed three sets to decide a winner after he dropped the first set, 6-7. The sophomore fought back, though, winning the final two sets, 6-3 and 7-4. Lasanajak improves to 3-0 this spring with the win.
Junior Emilio Van Cotthem, playing on court three, also dropped his first set, 2-6. Yet, he dug in and dominated the following two sets, 6-1 and 6-2, to earn the Eagles eighth and final point. Van Cotthem is now 7-4 in singles play this spring.
Senior Brandon Cohen rounded out the Eagles' singles lineup, playing on court two. The senior fell in two sets, 7-6 and 6-2. With the loss, Cohen slips to 1-3 in singles play.
Emory will have a quick turnaround as they prepare to welcome NAIA powerhouse Georgia Gwinnett to the Woodruff P.E. Center on Saturday morning. The match against the Grizzlies is scheduled to get started at 11:00 AM.