by Ezra Wildes (’17)
The MTA Tennis Lions took the court on Thursday night at the Althea Gibson Tennis Center in Newark, NJ, hoping to end their season on a high note with a win over Frisch. MTA grabbed the early lead thanks to a dominant performance from #1 Singles Star Josh Zyskynd (’17), who with a relentless dose of blistering serves and whipping forehands, overwhelmed his opponent en route to a 10-0 victory. The #1 Doubles Team of Chanina Rothenberg (’17) and Yedidya Schechter (’19) followed suit, outlasting their opponents in what were some hard-fought games, including an epic, half-hour, 15-deuce game to take an early 3-0 lead. The opposition never recovered after that game and MTA cruised to a 10-1 victory. Frisch, however, battled back, taking the next two matches in #3 Singles and #2 Doubles, thereby knotting the match at 2 games apiece. That left the fate of the match in the hands of #2 Singles veteran Ezra Wildes (’17) who was locked in a tight contest. After 18 games the score was squared at 9 games all, forcing a “win by 2” scenario. With ice in his veins and timely shot-making, Ezra craftily struck well-placed backhands in the next 2 games propelling him to a 11-9 personal victory, handing MTA the big win. “This was truly a night to remember. I can’t ask for a better way to end our season!” commented Coach Eli Gewirtz (’07). MTA celebrated their victory and a successful season at Dougie’s BBQ in Teaneck after the match.
