ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– Freshman Andrew Ton (Milpitas, Calif) rallied after losing the first set, trailing 5-2 in the third set and being down 15-40 while serving with a 6-5 lead to win the final three points of his No. 1 singles match and give the Navy men's tennis team a dramatic 4-3 victory over Army West Point Saturday on the USNA Tennis Courts in Annapolis.
Today's contest between the Mids (25-10, 7-1 Patriot League) and the Black Knights (15-11, 6-1) served as the Star Match between the two programs. The victory –– the third year in a row the Mids have won the Star Match –– gives the Navy athletics program a victory in the 2017-18 Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA. The Mids have now won the Star Series in four-straight years and in 20 of the last 22 seasons (20-1-1).
"It seemed like the teams were pretty evenly matched going into today," said Navy head coach Chris Garner, "which turned out to be very true."
The first match to finish was the No. 3 doubles match which saw Navy's Peter Lohrbach (Fr., Little Neck, N.Y.) and Andrey Majkic (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.) post a 6-1 win over David Mitchell and Grant Patterson. Army evened the proceedings with a 6-3 win at the No. 2 flight by Myles Conlin and Dylan Simonsen over Greg Durham (So., Melbourne Beach, Fla.) and Gabriel Pilones (So., Bradenton, Fla.). The Black Knights would earn the doubles point when their No. 1 team of Michael Nguyen and Gregory Shannon defeated Ton and Aries Wong (Sr., Bethesda, Md.) by the score of 6-4.
"After the first two points of their set," said Garner, "Peter and Andrey played at a high level to give us the lead in doubles. But we had a couple hiccups that Army took advantage of to take the doubles point."
Navy had won the doubles point from Army in each of the last five matches between the squads. Also, the winner of the doubles point entered today having gone on to win the Army-Navy match in 29 of the last 36 meetings.
The teams split the first set of the six singles matches, with both programs taking a 1-0 lead in three matches. With all of the matches deep in the second set, Navy's Walker Sims (Sr., Memphis, Tenn.) was the first to complete his match and his 6-1, 6-4 victory at No. 4 singles over Mitchell tied the dual at 1-1. Navy took its first lead a few minutes later when Wong posted a 6-4, 6-4 win over Shannon at No. 2 singles.
Lohrbach then rallied from a 5-4 deficit in the second set to defeat Anant Mundra, 6-3, 7-5, at No. 6 singles and give the Mids a 3-1 lead.
That left three matches on the courts, with each in a third set, and Navy needing to win one of them to earn the victory.
"We were able to get back in the match with wins by Aries, Walker and Peter," said Garner, "but the other matches were in Army's favor. Andrew, Greg and Gabe made a strong push to pull even at a set a piece. With Army leading in all third sets we would need a comeback."
Army sliced the margin down to 3-2 when Myles Conlin posted a 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 win over Durham at No. 3 singles, with Army's Michael Sienko soon recording a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over Pilones at the No. 5 flight to tie the contest at 3-3.
All eyes turned to No. 1 singles match between Ton and Nguyen, where the score was tied at 5-5 in the third set when they became the last players standing.
"Like coach (Garner) said, just live in the moment; every point is a new point, every game is a new game," said Ton, who just turned 18 years old a few months ago, when asked about his mindset when trailing. "Each point I changed a little something different. I played within myself and just had a lot of fun.
"This doesn't compare (Army-Navy vs. other big matches he has played in). I remember when I was a kid, I used to play a bunch of national tournaments. There would be a big crowd, but you are playing for yourself. No one is really there to support you except maybe your family. Here, you are playing for something so much bigger than yourself. Whether that is my team, my parents, the whole Academy, just the whole Navy community. The nerves are a lot different. I definitely felt it in the beginning, but I settled down and played my best.
"What an incredible, thrilling, suspenseful finish," said Garner. "Andrew's backhand passing shot winner to win the match will be etched in our memory forever."
"I don't remember match point," said Ton.
Today marked the first time Navy had lost the doubles point and gone on to win the overall match since 2013.
The victory gives Navy the inside track to being the No. 1 seed in next week's Patriot League Tournament. The bracket for the nine-team event will be announced Tuesday. Army and Navy have met in the tournament in each of the last six seasons including four-straight meetings in the final of the event. The team that has won the Star Match has lost the tournament match in four of the last six seasons
Army (15-11, 6-1) def. Navy (25-10, 7-1), 4-3
Doubles – Army wins the doubles point (3-2-1)
1. Nguyen, Michael / Shannon, Gregory (ARMY) def. Ton, Andrew / Wong, Aries (NAVY) 6-4
2. Conlin, Myles / Simonsen, Dylan (ARMY) vs. Durham, Greg / Pilones, Gabriel (NAVY) 6-3
3. Lohrbach, Peter / Majkic, Andrey (NAVY) def. Mitchell, David / Patterson, Grant (ARMY) 6-1
Singles (4-2-6-3-5-1)
1. Ton, Andrew (NAVY) def. Nguyen, Michael (ARMY) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5
2. Wong, Aries (NAVY) def. Shannon, Gregory (ARMY) 6-4, 6-4
3. Conlin, Myles (ARMY) def. Durham, Greg (NAVY) 6-2, 4-6, 6-0
4. Sims, Walker (NAVY) def. Mitchell, David (ARMY) 6-1, 6-4
5. Sienko, Michael (ARMY) def. Pilones, Gabriel (NAVY) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
6. Lohrbach, Peter (NAVY) def. Mundra, Anant (ARMY) 6-3, 7-5