M. Tennis tripped up in elite tourney

PRINCETON, N.J. -- When the top 64 men's tennis players in the East gathered at Princeton this past weekend, Penn coach Gene Miller did not expect miracles from his five singles players. He did not expect one of them to come out ranked No. 1 in the fall. But he did hope for more than he got. Miller was "disappointed" in his team's performance. No Penn singles player made it past the third round. But due to the strong level of competition, Miller was not too concerned with the results. "It's a tough tournament," he said, "though I thought we were playing well enough [to finish better]." One of the pleasant surprises was the play of freshman Marc Fisicaro, the only Quaker to make it to the third round. He needed two victories just to earn a spot in the tournament. After the first 56 spots were determined, 32 players fought in a separate qualifying tournament to earn one of the final eight places. After winning two qualifying matches, Fisicaro battled through two more victories before finally succumbing to the No. 1 seed and eventual champion, Miami's Gil Kovalski, 6-4, 6-2. Gil also ruined another Quaker's hopes, J.J. Cramer, with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) second-round victory. Fisicaro opened the tournament by defeating Princeton's Gog Boonswang. After losing the first set 6-1, he was able to turn it around for a 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) comeback. Fisicaro then went on to top Boston University's John Lamendola. "Marc has worked hard on his transition game," Miller said. "He is now an all-courter, which is necessary to beat the better players in the league, like Boonswang." Fisicaro also agreed his improved net play was important. "It added more to my game," he said. Another bright spot for Penn was the doubles play of third-seeded Neil Aaronson and David Graziani, who made it to the quarterfinals of the 48-team tournament. After receiving a first-round bye, they defeated teams from Central Connecticut and Yale. Their momentum continued into their quarterfinal match against Baron and Gola from Rutgers, as they took the early lead with a 6-4 first-set victory. Rutgers would not fold, however, and finished the match strongly, 6-4, 6-3. "[Aaronson's and Graziani's] chemistry is tremendous," Miller said. "They communicate well together." Entering the tournament, Penn's two best chances for success in the singles tournament were believed to be co-captains Marc Schecter and Aaronson. Their performances were disappointing -- Aaronson lost in the first round and Schecter was defeated in the second. Schecter had a tough draw and had to play the No. 4 seed, Harvard's Mitty Arnold in the second round. Regardless of Penn's lack of success this weekend, Fisicaro believes "other teams should be worried" about the Quakers this spring.