By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A captivating comeback pushed the Tennessee Tech tennis team to its second win of the season, as the Golden Eagles rallied late in their 2022 home opener for a 4-3 victory over in-state foe Chattanooga.
With only five available Golden Eagles in the mix, Tech essentially started the match down 2-0 after TTU was forced to forfeit the No. 3 doubles duel that led to the Mocs (5-13) capturing the tandem point, before the Golden Eagles were also forced to forfeit the No. 6 singles get-together to put Chattanooga ahead 2-0.
Despite the early deficit, Tech (2-9) began singles play in primed fashion behind victories in two of the first three completed clashes to push the Moc margin to a narrow 3-2 edge with two solo affairs still to be decided. TTU's first two singles wins came courtesy of a Mika Berghaus 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Kerim Hyatt in the No. 2 position and a Jun Sasagawa 6-4, 6-4 nod against Ryan Mudre in the No. 5 spot. Carlos Vicente fell 6-2, 6-2 to Jordan McClure in the No. 4 meeting for UTC's third point.
Trailing 3-2, Elias Grubert's rally over Tomas Rodriguez in the top slot squared the score at 3-3. The Golden Eagle junior out of Parana, Argentina shook off a 6-2 first-set loss with a 6-4 second-set victory and a 6-1 third-set triumph for Tech's third point.
With the No. 3 position up for grabs, all eyes shifted to Andre Rodeia and Peyton Gatti, who were now playing for the match. The two sophomores exchanged 6-3 victories over the first two sets, with Rodeia capturing the first and Gatti seizing the second, but Rodeia secured a hard-fought 7-5 third-set win to lift the purple and gold to the thrilling victory in the club's first contest in Cookeville.
In the lone doubles matchup that finished, Kerim Hyatt and Kaisei Kuroki claimed a 6-3 win over Carlos Vicente and Jun Sasagawa, while Mika Berghaus and Elias Grubert led Tomas Rodriguez and Peyton Gatti 4-3 at the time the tilt was called.
Tech will stay at home for its next match, as the Golden Eagles will welcome Eastern Illinois to Cookeville for Saturday's OVC opener. First serve at Tech Tennis Courts is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and admission is free of charge.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
