The men’s tennis team of Saint Joseph’s University experienced a challenging defeat on Thursday when they were vanquished by their local rivals, Drexel, with a score of 4-0 at the Vidas Courts.
Drexel asserted an early advantage by securing victories in the first two doubles flights, thereby procuring the initial point of the day. In the third flight, Justus Agbo and Stergios Achilleas Papadopoulos were trailing 5-4 when the match was halted. Meanwhile, in singles play, Othman Bezzaz was on the brink of triumph in the third flight, leading 6-4, 5-0, while Ernesto Ruy had split a pair of 6-4 sets in the second flight. However, the Dragons ultimately clinched three matches, obtaining the necessary points for victory.
The Hawks will have a brief respite before their next scheduled match on Tuesday, April 16, when they will be visiting Morgan State.
The final results of the match were as follows:
Drexel 4, Saint Joseph’s 0
Doubles
1. Alex De Sousa / Alan Jesudason (DREX) def. Othman Bezzaz / Ernesto Ruy (SJU), 6-2
2. Hussein El Tawil / Pierre Humayou (DREX) def. John Butler / Eli Gan-Dy (SJU), 6-2
3. Josue Guzman / Egor Kirakosov (DREX) led Justus Agbo / Stergios Achilleas Papadopoulos (SJU) 5-4 (unfinished)
Order of Finish: 2, 1
Singles
1. Jesudason (DREX) def. Agbo (SJU), 6-3, 6-0
2. Ruy (SJU) vs. El Tawil (DREX), 4-6, 6-4 (unfinished)
3. Bezzaz (SJU) led De Sousa (DREX), 6-4, 5-0 (unfinished)
4. Kirakosov (DREX) def. Papadopoulos (SJU), 6-0, 6-2
5. Guzman (DREX) def. Campbell (SJU), 6-4, 6-2
6. Humayou (DREX) led Gan-Dy (SJU), 6-2, 4-3 (unfinished)
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 5
Despite the hard-fought nature of the match, the Hawks are eagerly anticipating their forthcoming fixture against Morgan State, where they hope to stage a strong comeback.