Four Dartmouth tennis players represented the Big Green this weekend at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association summer tournament, all winning matches on their home courts. Jeri Reichel '13, Christina Danosi '13, Michael Jacobs '13 and Alexander Centenari '13 participated in the tournament, which Dartmouth hosted.
In the men's singles draw, Centenari was ranked first, while Jacobs came in at number eight. After having a bye in the first round, Centenari went on to the semi-finals, besting opponents from Amherst College, Middlebury College, and Cornell University, all in straight sets. Centenari took on Sam Fife of Brown University in the semi-finals, but dropped the match 6-1,6-0.
"I think I played well," Centenari said. "I felt like a lot of the things I have been working on this summer have started to come together in match play situations. Saturday and Sunday I played really well and it was exciting."
Jacobs began the tournament with two wins in straight sets. Despite going in with momentum, Jacobs fell 6-1, 6-1 to Will Spector of Brown. Spector went on to win the draw 6-4, 6-3, beating his teammate Fife.
In the third round, Jacobs played the eventual tournament champion but felt that the match was highly competitive.
"The score was not really indicative of how close the match was and I felt like I could have beaten him. I was just a little disappointed with my fitness and conditioning and felt like I got tired."
On the women's side, Danosi was seeded third, while Reichel ranked seventh. Danosi made it to the semi-finals after winning three matches and besting opponents from Williams College and the University of Massachusetts. Danosi dropped the semi-final match 7-5, 7-5 to Sarah Kandath, also from Brown.
After battling to win her first match 5-7, 7-6(4), 10-2, Reichel came back to decisively win her second match 6-0, 6-0. She then fell to Erin Vierra of the University of Virginia, 6-2, 6-1.
"I've definitely played better, but right now I'm using the summer to work on technique and change things up," Reichel said. "It was definitely a lot of fun."
The Big Green athletes also played in the doubles draw, with Centenari and Jacobs winning their first two matches 8-5. In the semi-finals, Jacobs faced off against Fife once more, this time besting his opponent 8-3. Centenari and Jacobs faced off against Brett Cromwell and Evan McElwain for the doubles title, but lost 8-2 against the Big Red.
"I don't want to sound too emotional, but I love playing with Xander," Jacobs said. "He's first-team All-Ivy in doubles, so it was an honor to play with him."
Jacobs said that at times, playing with Centenari has been challenging due to their different playing styles.
"He is a ball striker who makes big serves, while I'm more of a finesse player," Jacobs said, "This weekend, though, we really came together and were able to beat some tough teams."
Centenari agreed, saying that although he had not played with Jacobs recently, the chemistry worked well.
"We know each other's games and styles of play and what our strengths and weaknesses are," said Centenari. "Overall we did well."
After having a bye in the first round, Danosi and Reichel fell in their match against Kathleen Elkins and Kara Shoemaker of Williams, 8-6. After the loss, the women won their next three matches to win the back draw.
"Whenever Christina and I play together, we have a lot of fun," Reichel said. "We know each other well and we have played together a lot, but we still started off slowly."
Tennis tournaments can be exhausting, with athletes playing about four matches a day. According to Reichel, however, this is an advantage, as it allows them to get in a lot of training and increase their experience.
Centenari is currently in Godfrey, Ill., playing in a qualifying tournament for Futures, a low-level professional event. Upon his return, both he and Jacobs will take a break from tournaments until August but will continue practicing in preparation for the regular season.
Both Danosi and Reichel will continue to work for the fall season and Danosi will play in two tournaments later this summer.
