The Rye Boys Tennis team defeated John Jay-Cross River 4-3 in roune one of the team sectional tournament on Saturday, May 18. Tied at 3-3, Luke Gordon at second singles was Rye’s last chance to advance, and he managed to pull out a miraculous comeback in a marathon match to keep the Garnets’ championship hopes alive.
“Honestly it was a battle of the backboards and a battle of the wills,” Head Coach Sue Dickson told MyRye.com, speaking of Gordon’s matchup with the Wolves’ Karl Shue. “Shue was up 4-1 in the second [set] when there was a controversial line call. This seemed to light a fire under Luke and he started to battle back.”
The battling never stopped from there, as Gordon, filling in at second singles in the absence of Grant Lobo, won five straight games to claim the set 6-4. in the supertiebreaking third set, Gordon won that part 10-8, finishing off an unbelievable effort to cast defeat off. His match lasted almost three hours. The final line was 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 (10-8) – about as close as it gets.
“In the end, collapsing on the court, Luke Gordon came out victorious with a 10-8 breaker,” Dickson continued. “Without a doubt, it was our most exciting match of the season.”
Gordon’s victory would not have been so monumental if not for three of Rye’s four doubles teams also winning their matchups. Doubles 1, 2, and 3 all picked up convincing victories to account for Rye’s other three points. It was just enough to push the Garnets to the second round of the tournament, where they will hope for a slightly less dramatic victory against an even tougher opponent.
