ORLANDO, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's tennis team pulled off a dramatic victory on Tuesday evening, defeating the Judson University Eagles, 4-3, at the USTA National Campus in Orlando. The match came down to a pair of three-set matches, with Carlos Thireau winning what amounted to a winner-take-all match at the number three position. The Gyrenes earned their first win over Judson, who entered the match receiving votes in the newest NAIA Coaches' Poll.
Judson controlled the action in doubles play, winning all three matches. Judson's top team of Christopher Veltkamp and Christopher Kerswell, the seventh ranked NAIA team in the East Region, defeated Nicholas Hofmeister and Luca Cirenza, 6-4. Another ranked team, Augustin Lestelle Dit Olive and Dimitri Ingrassia, defeated Guilherme Bento and Felipe Amorim at the number two spot, while Hugo La Hei and Alexandre Veltkamp swept Alejandro Viedma and Carlos Thireau at the third position.
Ave Maria bounced back in singles play, winning the first two matches to finish to take a 2-1 lead. The first singles match to complete was won by Luca Cirenza, who earned a victory at the number four position, 6-3, 6-3, over Judson's Dimitri Ingrassia. Alejandro Viedma followed with a dominant victory at the number five position, losing just one point overall in a 6-1, 6-0 triumph over Augustin Lestelle Dit Olive.
The teams split the top two singles matches, keeping AMU's lead intact at 3-2. Christopher Kerswell, the eighth ranked player in the nation, defeated Guilherme Bento, 6-1, 6-4. At the number two spot, Nicholas Hofmeister earned one of the best wins of his career, winning in straight sets over Judson's' Christopher Veltkamp. Hofmeister's dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory came over Veltkamp, the 21st ranked NAIA player in the nation.
Two matches went three sets, with the match at number three being the decisive one. At the number six spot, Maximilian Fortun defeated Michael Myrtil, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 to even the match at three a piece. The match came down to the number three match between Thireau and the 18th ranked player in the east region, Alexandre Veltkamp. Thireau won a tiebreaker in the first set, before Veltkamp won the second set, 6-3. In the decisive set, Thireau battled to a 6-4 win, winning both the individual and team matches.
Ave Maria will play their fourth consecutive neutral site contest on Friday afternoon, stepping up to face an NCAA Division II opponent. The Gyrenes will take on the Timberwolves of Northwood University, who are travelling to Florida from the state of Michigan. The match, which will again take place at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. opening serve.
