In a thrilling match, the Fordham University men’s tennis team secured its first win of the spring season by defeating Norfolk State University 5-2 on Sunday evening at the Cary Leeds Tennis Center.
Head coach David Slater expressed his excitement, stating, “It’s great to pick up our first win of the spring. The guys played tough against a determined opponent and managed to come out on top. Hopefully, this is something we can build on for the rest of the spring.”
The Rams kicked off the match strong, earning the doubles point with two impressive wins. Dhillon Virdee-Oakley and Dhananjay Athreya dominated their match, winning 6-0 at first doubles. Following that, Will Lokier and Nicolas Garnier secured the doubles point with a 6-0 victory at third doubles.
In singles play, Fordham continued to shine by winning four out of six matches. Virdee-Oakley led the charge with a solid 6-4, 6-2 win against Norfolk State’s Vladisav Gorbatenko. Although Norfolk State managed to close the gap with a win at fifth singles, Filip Horak extended Fordham’s lead to 3-1 with a 6-3, 6-2 victory at third singles.
Lokier faced a challenging match at fourth singles but showed resilience by coming back to win after dropping the first set. He ultimately triumphed 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4). Ruben Russworm also rallied from a set down to win his match, finishing at 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Match Summary:
Fordham 5, Norfolk State 2
Cary Leeds Tennis Courts | Bronx, N.Y.
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Singles Results:
- Dhillon Virdee-Oakley (FOR) def. Vladisav Gorbatenko (NSUM) 6-4, 6-2
- Jakub Solarski (NSUM) def. Dhananjay Athreya (FOR) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
- Filip Horak (FOR) def. Frederick McRae (NSUM) 6-3, 6-2
- Will Lokier (FOR) def. Deniz Okyay (NSUM) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4)
- Igor Kubalka (NSUM) def. Phillip Uhde (FOR) 6-3, 6-2
- Ruben Russworm (FOR) def. Michele Elia (NSUM) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
Doubles Results:
- Dhillon Virdee-Oakley/Dhananjay Athreya (FOR) def. Vladisav Gorbatenko/Deniz Okyay (NSUM) 6-0
- Jakub Solarski/Frederick McRae (NSUM) def. Phillip Uhde/Filip Horak (FOR) 7-5
- Nicolas Garnier/Will Lokier (FOR) def. Michele Elia/Igor Kubalka (NSUM) 6-0
Order of finish for singles was 1, 5, 3, 4, 6, 2 and for doubles was 1, 3, 2.
Next up, the Rams will face Queens College on February 28 at 1:00 PM.
