The men played a hard match this past Saturday in their season opener against Malone College. Played in the Heisman Field House, the first match of the 2007 season began with an intense doubles competition.

Juniors Chris Pray and Colin Burling were paired in the one spot and played a skillful match, coming out with the team’s first win at 8-4. Junior Ezra Goldman was paired with senior Arthur Zeyda in the two spot. They were unable to recover their lead and lost 5-8. The final match in doubles was a nail-biter featuring sophomores David Midler and Benjamin Crystal. The pair played evenly with their opponents, keeping the score neck-in-neck throughout. Malone came up on top, however, with a few well-placed shots in the tie-breaker, which ended in a 5-7 loss for Oberlin.

Singles competition had a better start, with Pray winning straight sets of 6-3 at the one position and Midler taking the two with sets of 6-2 and 6-3. Zeyda had a harder time in the three spot with a harsh first set, losing 1-6. Though he mounted an early charge in the second set, he was unable to catch up and lost 4-6.

The four spot was played by Goldman, who got off to a great start by winning the first set 6-3. The second set was a different story, as Goldman’s opponent began serving with a heavy hand, blasting the ball at sharp angles. This quickly turned the match into a battle of attrition as the harsh serves began taking their toll on Goldman and he was unable to keep up. They lost the second set 5-7 along with the third, 2-6. Burling fared better at the five, winning his first set with ease at 6-1. Although the second got tougher as his opponent tried to come back, Burling won the tie-breaker 7-5 for the win. Crystal was not as fortunate at the six and lost 0-6 and 3-6. The final score was 4-5, with Malone defeating Oberlin.

Although it was not a very happy start for the men’s tennis team, they still look forward to their upcoming match against Heidelberg on Thursday, Feb. 22.

“We really aren’t that worried about this,” says Midler about the loss. “We’re getting better every day and this loss just highlights what we need to improve on. We’re all still looking forward to a great season.”

That being said, some praise must go to one of the team’s new players, sophomore Igor Pancevski, for his win in an exhibition match. He dominated it even though he just started playing tennis only a few months before. He is an up-and-coming player to watch for in the following weeks.