Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Harvard<BR>(Blue-Gray Classic)
Men's Tennis Beats Harvard in Resumed Match
3/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 22, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. - One week later and 2,050 miles away from where the match started, Fresno State defeated Harvard 4-3 in a resumed match at the Taube Family Tennis Center at Stanford.
The contest began last Saturday as both teams' final match of the Blue-Gray Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala. After winning the doubles point, the Crimson, then-ranked 30th but currently No. 52, ripped off singles victories at Nos. 1 and 3 for a 3-0 lead.
But the 50th-ranked Bulldogs (9-6) battled back, posting wins at Nos. 2, 3 and 5 to even the score at 3-3. That set the stage for Sergiu Modoc at No. 6, who battled Harvard's Jason Beren for over two hours before the match was halted due to rain with Beren leading 3-2 in the third set.
After dropping the first game after the match resumed, Modoc reeled off three in a row to go ahead 5-4 with Beren serving. The Bulldog freshman had two match points in the 10th game, but Beren saved both with forehand winners. After Modoc held serve to go ahead 6-5, Beren again faced a match point, but again he came through with a winner and eventually forced a tiebreak.
In the tiebreaker, Modoc fell behind 2-1 but won six of the last seven points and wound up with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (3) match-clinching victory.
The victory improved the freshman's record to 7-4, including 6-0 at No. 6 singles.
Harvard is in the middle of a West Coast swing that sees it play at Stanford on Monday. The Crimson's trip opened up the possibility of resuming the match in Palo Alto.
The Bulldogs' next match comes Saturday against BYU in Boise, Idaho.
Players Mentioned
