March 7, 2010

Tenafly, N.J. - The Fordham University men's tennis squad opened its 2010 spring season with a 5-4 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in a match played at the Tenafly Racquet Club in Tenafly, N.J. John Thornhill, Alex DeRienzo and Ken Fukumoto led the way, winning at the fourth through sixth singles positions, respectively.

All three singles winners for the Rams won without losing a set. Thornhill defeated STAC's Mel Gonzales, DeRienzo upended Ed Reiter and Fukumoto shut out Paul Schumann, all by 6-0, 6-0 scores.

In other singles action, Dallas Harting fell to Nicolas Jacques at first singles (7-5, 6-3) while Kevin Maloney almost defeated Kilian Wantzen at the second position, winning the first set, 7-6 (6), before dropping the second, 6-4. Wantzen then won the match with a 10-3 win in the tiebreaker.

At third singles, Austin Shoup dropped the first set to Nick Cittadino, 6-4, but came back to win the second, 6-2. Shoup couldn't keep the momentum going in the tiebreaker, falling 10-5.

In the doubles competition, the Rams took two of the three doubles matches. Thornhill and Eli Plangger won at second doubles over Jacques and Gonzales, 8-2, while Maloney and DeRienzo took care of Reiter and Mike Antolini at third doubles, 8-1. The Fordham team of Harting and Shoup came up just short at first doubles, falling to Wantzen and Cittadino, 9-8 (7-5).

The Rams will next be in action on Sunday, March 22nd, as they travel to Philadelphia to face Temple University at 10:00 AM.

Fordham vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
March 7, 2010 at Tenafly, N.J. (Tenafly Racquet Club)

Doubles
1. Kilian Wantzen/Nick Cittadino (STAC) def. Dallas Harting / Austin Shoup (FOR), 9-8 (7-5)
2. John Thornhill / Eli Plangger (FOR) def. Nicolas Jacques/Mel Gonzales (STAC), 8-2
3. Kevin Maloney / Alex DeRienzo (FOR) def. Ed Reiter/Mike Antolini (STAC), 8-1

Singles
1. Nicolas Jacques (STAC) def. Dallas Harting (FOR), 7-5, 6-3
2. Kilian Wantzen (STAC) def. Kevin Maloney (FOR), 6-7 (6), 6-4 (10-3)
3 Nick Cittadino (STAC) def. Austin Shoup (FOR), 6-4, 2-6 (10-5)
4. John Thornhill (FOR) def. Mel Gonzales (STAC), 6-0, 6-0
5. Alex DeRienzo (FOR) def. Ed Reiter (STAC), 6-0, 6-0
6. Ken Fukumoto (FOR) def. Paul Schumann (STAC), 6-0, 6-0