Men’s tennis eases past St. Francis Brooklyn for season’s first win

By Jesse Dimich-Louvet - OwlSports Update
​In their third outing of the season, the Temple Owls claimed their first win against a less experienced team in St. Francis Brooklyn College this past weekend at UPenn.  ​

Junior Marin Delmas and Senior Louis Gorregues dropped the opening doubles leg 6-1 before Leo Raquin and Thibault Frumholz won their match 6-4 to tie proceedings. All eyes turned to Gregoire Barety and Jericho Grollman as they played in a thrilling deciding tiebreak to determine the doubles point. After squandering match point at 6-5 because of Barety’s netted return, St Francis took the opening and to win the tiebreaker and grab the double point 9-7.  

“We started slow for some reason,'' Coach Steve Mauro said.  

However, the Owls were able to bounce back quickly and were all business in singles with Delmas, Raquin, and Barety earning quick victories to put the Owls ahead 3-1.  Moments later, Gorregues clinched victory with an epic 6-1 7-6 win, putting the Owls at an insurmountable 4-1 lead. Shortly after, Frumholz and freshmen Hussein El Tawil rounded out a flawless singles showing from the Owls, claiming respective wins.  Temple ended the evening with a 6-1 performance over St. Francis Brooklyn.  “Everyone fought hard and I am happy with the effort, especially the way the guys outworked them in singles,” Mauro said.  

The Owls will enjoy a three-week break before facing Siena College on Feb 25th, at the Cherry Hill Racquet Club in Cherry Hill, N.J.  The Owls will look to build off of this win as they head into the busier part of their schedule that starts in late February and run mid-April.