Patch's Sean Bushong chases down a serve from Hohenfels' Wade Cermak during a singles match at Hohenfels, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Bushong won the match 8-1. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
Patch's Sean Bushong chases down a serve from Hohenfels' Wade Cermak during a singles match at Hohenfels, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Bushong won the match 8-1. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
Patch's Jasmine McCook extends for a volley during her tennis match against Chloe Witty, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. McCook won that match 7-4. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
Ethan Moser returns a serve during doubles play between his Patch Panthers and the Hohenfels Tigers, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Moser and partner Wade Cermak lost Evan Struber and Sean Bushong, 8-1. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
HohenfelsÕ Jasmine Hack extends out for a volley during her match against Caity Roos during a tennis match between the Tigers and the Patch Panthers, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Hack lost to Roos 8-2. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
Patch's Marina Fortun and Marissa Encarnacion were perfect on that day, winning every single game in both singles and doubles play. Here, Fortun serves while Encarnacion holds the line during a match between the Panthers and the Hohenfels Tigers, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
HOHENFELS, Germany – Marissa Encarnacion wasn’t quite sure how her ankle was going to hold up on Saturday.
Earlier this year, the Patch tennis star fractured her left ankle, sidelining her for the early part of the season.
Saturday’s matches against Hohenfels was her first real chance to test how well the injury has healed, and a proving ground of sorts to see if a wild card entry into the European finals was anything more than a pipe dream.
After a decisive 8-0 victory over Katherine Gamble in singles and an equally flawless 8-0 run alongside partner Marina Fortun in doubles play, that dream is looking more and more likely.
“This was my first real game back,” Encarnacion said. “I felt okay, a bit rusty and definitely a half-step slower … but I’m actually quite pleased with how I performed today.”
Encarnacion’s fellow Panthers mirrored her successes, winning every single match over the Tigers. Fortun beat Taylor Gamble 6-0, 6-0 and Kendall Smith defeated Delaney McKinney 8-1. The Gamble sisters later partnered up to give Patch’s Smith and Caity Roos a scare in doubles play. The Panthers won that match in three close sets, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4.
On the boys side, No. 1 John Grady fought off a tenacious opponent in Nathan Witty 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in a match that was much closer than anybody expected.
“It was a tough one,” Grady said. “I didn’t play very well in the second set, I just wasn’t really focused and you can’t do that against a good opponent like that. Once I lost a couple of games it just spiraled out of control. I got it back though.”
Grady and partner Marcus Burkpile won their doubles match against Christopher Lucious and Ian Rodman, 8-1, leaving them perfect on the season. On adjacent courts, Sean Bushong and Evan Stuber fought past a tough team of Ethan Mosher and Wader Cermak for an 8-4 victory. Rivals would do well to keep a sharp eye on Bushong and Stuber, as their team chemistry is going to carry them through some tough spots on the road to the finals.
“I feel like I played weak today,” Bushong said. “But that’s where having a great doubles partner comes in. We play well together because we cover for each other’s weaknesses.”
Patch now moves on to play Kaiserslautern, Ramstein and Wiesbaden in rapid succession, which coach Walter Fritz said will be the real test of his team’s ability to make a deep run at the European championships.
“That’ll show you the real results,” he said. “Those three matches will show where the kids are really at. That’ll be the reality factor.”
