WIESBADEN, Germany — It was a big day for the Patch boys’ high school tennis team as it swept past Wiesbaden 9-0 in advance of next week’s European championships here.
However, all eyes Saturday were on the long anticipated match between two previously undefeated girls.
In a hard-fought battle, Wiesbaden’s Jade Sullivan defeated Patch’s Marina Fortun 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. Sullivan, a sophomore, became frustrated with unforced errors early on in the first set but pushed through with a series of well-placed shots.
Fortun, also in her sophomore year, bounced back in the second set with an early 4-1 lead and seemed to really gain her stride despite coming down hard on the carpet trying to win advantage on a point.
“I knew it was gonna be real tough,” Fortun said following the match. “This is a real ‘heads up’ to get a good idea of how I’m going to place the ball at Europeans.”
However, Sullivan was able to wrap things up by winning the last set, though she continued to be plagued by unforced errors.
“This was the hardest game so far,” Sullvian said. “But the third set was the best because we both got into our rhythm.”
Sullivan finished third in last year’s championships and should carry the top seed into the tournament after the victory. Fortun was part of Patch’s championship doubles team. It was her first defeat of the season.
Wiesbaden handed Patch a 7-2 defeat in girls play. Fortun got some revenge in the doubles match, teaming with Marissa Encarnacion for an 8-4 triumph over Sullivan and Jackie Renzi. Encarnacion also won her singles match, 8-0 over Kate Connors. Peyton Taylor, Renzi, Nicole Hess and Cassie Pritchett earned singles victories for Wiesbaden.
Devin Rehwadt, Payton Fritz, Joe Cook, Eugene Brown, Markus Burkepile and Evan Stuber all had singles and doubles wins for the Patch boys.
The European championships begin Thursday, with the championships set for Saturday.