QUEENS, N.Y. — The Pratt Institute men's tennis team saw its five-match winning streak come to an end in a hard-fought 4-3 defeat to Marywood University on Thursday afternoon at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mikah Liu (Austin, Texas) and Wyatt Myers (San Francisco, Calif.) went undefeated on the day with wins in singles and doubles.
Pratt (6-3, 2-1 Atlantic East) struck first in doubles play, with the Golden State tandem of Liu and Myers cruising to a 6-2 victory at the No. 1 flight. Marywood (7-6, 1-1 Atlantic East) responded by taking the No. 2 match and edging out a 7-5 decision at No. 3 to capture the opening doubles point.
The Cannoneers mounted a strong response in singles action, claiming three flights in straight sets to keep the overall match level. Liu controlled the top flight with a 6-2, 6-4 victory for his sixth straight singles win. Myers followed with a resilient 7-6 (3), 6-2 win at No. 2 after trailing early in the first set, while Zuhayr Abdulla (San Antonio, Texas) delivered a 6-2, 7-5 triumph at No. 4.
With Marywood picking up wins at No. 3 and No. 5 singles, the contest was tied 3-3 and came down to the No. 6 flight.
Brian Duval (Glen Gardner, N.J.) displayed remarkable grit in the deciding match. After dropping the first set, the senior fought off multiple match points in the second set tiebreaker, ultimately winning it 10-8 to force a third set. Marywood's Aidan Brunner managed to hold off the comeback, taking the final set to secure the 6-1, 6-7 (8), 6-1 victory and clinch the match for the Pacers.
Pratt pauses Atlantic East play to visit Lehman College on Tuesday, April 7, for a non-conference road test at 3:30 p.m.
