ORLANDO, Fla. — Gustavus men’s tennis players Nick Aney (Sr., Rochester) and Daniel Fouchier (Sr., Nootdorp, Netherlands) won their opening round match at the NCAA Doubles Championships, defeating Harrison Maitland-Carter and Matthew Michibata of the College of New Jersey. Aney and Fouchier dropped set one 6-2, before winning sets two and three 7-5 and 6-3.
In the singles draw, Aney dropped his first round matchup to Vishwa Aduru of Case Western Reserve, falling 6-3 and 6-2 in the first two sets.
“Nick competed hard in singles today. He caught a tough matchup in very challenging conditions,” said Head Coach Tommy Valentini. “I was proud of how he gave a great effort and tried to find solutions. He finishes a great season in singles in which he grew as a player and a competitor, and gave our team a strong presence at the top of the lineup.
“In doubles Nick and Daniel put together a heck of a performance. Their opponents played flawlessly for the first set and a half. We were on our heels a bit, but it was because of how well TCNJ played. Full credit to Nicky and Foosh for choosing to stay positive and to continue to hang in there and give their best despite the score line. As a result, they were able to turn the second set around and served beautifully throughout the third to come through. In this match, they were a picture of poise and trust in themselves, each other, and our approach. Because of this, they gave themselves a chance and were able to capitalize. We feel fortunate to move on and to face another fun and tough challenge tomorrow in the quarters.”
Aney and Fouchier will play their second round match on Friday at noon.