Women's Tennis Comes Up Short Against Georgetown Friday, 7-0

Friday, January 27

RiverWinds

5:30 p.m.

Drexel University

Georgetown

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Tennis Comes Up Short Against Georgetown Friday, 7-0

1/27/2017 8:44:00 PM | Women's Tennis

WEST DEPTFORD, N.J. – The Drexel tennis teams dropped matches Friday at RiverWinds to the Georgetown Hoyas in West Deptford, N.J., as the women were defeated, 7-0, and the men fell, 5-2. Drexel's the women's team is 3-1 on the young season, while men's team is now 2-1.

"We fought hard but couldn't convert enough matches," head coach Mehdi Rhazali said. "Matches like this are key for our schedule this season in helping to make us stronger and ready for CAAs."

Drexel's women's team fell, 7-0, but had a chance to take a couple of points off the Hoyas. The Dragons got a victory in the top doubles spot from the junior duo of Ryshena Providence and Clary Rodriguez Cruz over Victoire Saperstein and Risa Nakagawa, 6-4, but that would be the only Drexel match win. Without the doubles point, the Dragons faced an uphill battle in singles play. Ghita Benhadi battled in a three-set match with Sara Swift, as the freshman took the first set but the next two would slip away, 3-6, 7-5, 10-7.

The men fought their way to a 5-2 loss, but the match could have tipped in their favor. The Dragons took the doubles point with the duo of Kashyap Ashok and Sinan Orhon fought to a 7-6 (5) win over Jordan Portner and Mac Rechan at the top spot to continue a string of successes dating back to the start of last season. In the No. 2 spot, Hamza Laalej and Youssef Lahlou found their stride to beat Yannik Mahlangu and Peter Beatty, 6-4. With the doubles point in hand, though, the Dragons could not carry the momentum over to singles play. Laalej came away with a 6-3, 6-3, win over Marco Lam in the top spot, but that would be Drexel's only singles victory. The win for Laalej, though, broke a tie with his brother, Omar Laalej, as the younger Laalej moved into sole possession of fifth in career singles wins. Lahlou forced tiebreaks in both sets of his match in the fourth position, but Mahlangu took both. In the sixth spot, Daniil Ginzburg took the first set off of Ian Witmer, but the Hoya would gut out the next two for the win.

The Dragons' men will return to the court Sunday as part of Homecoming Weekend when they host Morgan State at the Armory at noon. Both teams will then head to Lehigh for matches next Sunday.

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Women: Georgetown 7, Drexel 0
Singles
Victoire Saperstein (GU) DEF Honami Yazawa (DU), 6-0, 6-2
Sara Swift (GU) DEF Ghita Benhadi (DU), 3-6, 7-5, 10-7
Risa Nakagawa (GU) DEF Kendra Bunch (DU), 6-1, 6-3
Sydney Goodson (GU) DEF Lea Winkler (DU), 6-1, 6-3
Cecilia Lynham (GU) DEF Clary Rodriguez Cruz (DU), 6-3, 6-3
Drew Spinosa (GU) DEF Ryshena Providence (DU), 6-2, 7-6 (4)

Doubles
Providence & Rodriguez Cruz (DU) DEF Saperstein & Nakagawa (GU), 6-4
Goodson & Swift (GU) DEF Benhadi & Bunch (DU), 6-2
Spinosa & Lynham (GU) DEF Winkler & Yazawa (DU), 6-2

Men: Georgetown 5, Drexel 2
Singles
Hamza Laalej (DU) DEF Marco Lam (GU), 6-3, 6-3
Peter Beatty (GU) DEF Sinan Orhon (DU), 6-3. 6-3
Mike Chen (GU) DEF Balaji Lakshmanan (DU), 6-1, 6-4
Yannik Mahlangu (GU) DEF Youssef Lahlou (DU), 7-5, 7-6 (5)
Mac Rechan (GU) DEF Alex Zenonos (DU), 6-3, 6-2
Ian Witmer (GU) DEF Daniil Ginzburg (DU), 3-6, 6-2, 10-4

Doubles
Ashok & Orhon (DU) DEF Portner & Rechan (GU), 7-6 (5)
Laalej & Lahlou (DU) DEF Mahlangu & Beatty (GU), 6-4
Chen & Witmer (GU) DEF Lakshmanan & Zenonos (DU), 6-2