The Fairfield High School boys tennis team bounced back in a big way Monday, April 20th, defeating Fort Madison 7-2 in a rematch after falling 4-3 just one week earlier.
The win came on the heels of a challenging outing at the Pella Invitational on April 18th, where Fairfield placed fifth out of five teams with 20 points. Head coach Lawrence Eyre noted the Trojans fielded one of the youngest and least experienced lineups in the tournament but still showed growth, particularly while battling difficult wind conditions. Unseeded Bowen Zhang highlighted the day with a seventh-place singles finish, going 3-2, including a win over Grinnell’s eventual fifth-place finisher Adan Wolfe. Max Craver added a victory in the consolation bracket.
That experience appeared to pay off quickly in Monday’s rematch.
Fairfield dominated singles play, sweeping every match after losing three of five singles contests in the previous meeting. Zhang led the way with an 8-0 win over Rowan Benda, avenging last week’s loss. Craver followed with an 8-6 victory over Holden Fraise, while Pranit Ruia cruised past Abu Sadiq 8-1. Aaron Carlson battled to a 9-7 win over Elijah Broadhorst, and Caelan Chang secured an 8-3 victory over Arian Williams. Fairfield also picked up a forfeit win at the sixth singles spot.
In doubles, Fort Madison responded by winning both contested matches. The team of Benda and Fraise edged Ruia and Carlson 8-6, while Sadiq and Broadhorst defeated Chang and Yangyi Zhong 8-3. Fairfield earned its seventh point via forfeit in the third doubles slot.
With the win, Fairfield improves to 3-2 on the season, while Fort Madison falls to 2-3.
Coach Eyre credited the team’s improvement to the tough competition faced at Pella.
“Encouraging improvement,” Eyre said. “Getting schooled at the Pella Invitational Saturday brought us up because our quality of play had to rise. We benefited from the tough competition.”
Fairfield will spend the rest of the week in practice as they continue to build on the progress shown in Monday’s victory.
Photo by A.J. Roe.
