SPARKILL, NY – At "The Dome" on campus, the St. Thomas Aquinas men's tennis team started off their home portion of the spring schedule where they left off in the fall, with a win!  The Spartans defeated a tough Bloomfield College team, 6-3, in a match that lasted four and a half hours and saw two singles slates decided in the third set super tiebreaker.

            Aaron Stahl '18 (Dusseldorf, Germany) continued his hot streak at first singles, defeating Ville Heikkilae 6-1, 6-4.  Battling strong wins that picked up during the second set, the sophomore stayed aggressive and found his groove with an even mix of forehand and backhand winners.  The win was his ninth consecutive victory in singles action.  Stahl also combined with Javier Muñoz '17 (Sevilla, Spain) in first doubles to win 8-6.  Muñoz was also a double winner, taking the victory at second singles over Vadim Kustov, 6-2, 6-2, in front of a raucous crowd enjoying the match from the confines of Aquinas Village. 

            At third singles, and the last tilt to finish, Andreu Ferragut '18 (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) battled back after dropping the first set tie break to win in the third set super tie breaker, besting Thulani Hove 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 1-0 (10-7).  Down 4-1 in the super tie breaker, Ferragut went on the offensive and rattled off nine of the next twelve points for the win.  Ferragut also teamed with Roger Almato '19 (Vic, Spain) to win at second doubles 8-0.

            Chris Jonas '16 (Yorktown Heights, NY) picked up his first win of the season, defeating Adam Carter 6-0, 6-2.  The Spartans are back in action on Friday, April 1 at home vs. Roberts Wesleyan and again Saturday, April 2 vs. Daemen.  Stay tuned for weather updates.

St. Thomas Aquinas College 6, Bloomfield College 3

Singles

1.  Aaron Stahl (STAC) def. Ville Heikkilae (BC) 6-1, 6-4

2.  Javier Muñoz (STAC) def. Vadim Kustov (BC) 6-2, 6-2

3.  Andreu Ferragut (STAC) def. Thulani Hove (BC) 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 1-0 (10-7)

4.  Igor Wisniewski (BC) def. Roger Almato (STAC) 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-3)

5.  Chris Jonas (STAC) def. Adam Carter (BC) 6-0, 6-2

6.  Nikola Seles (BC) def. Gilberto Lantigua (STAC), 6-4, 6-2

Doubles

1.  Stahl/Muñoz (STAC) def. Hove/Kustov (BC) 8-6

2.  Ferragut/Almato (STAC) def. Seles/Carter (BC) 8-0

3.  Heikkilae/Wisniewski (BC) def. Jonas/Lantigua (STAC) 8-1

Order of Finish:

Doubles (2, 3, 1);  Singles (5, 2, 1, 6, 4, 3)

Time of Match:

4 hours, 33 minutes