Fisicaro powers M. Tennis

In their final match of the fall season, three members of the men's tennis team enjoyed a successful outing against some of the stiffest competition they faced all season. The ITA/Rolex Tournament, like all fall events, was based primarily on individual results and not on the team's play as a whole. Penn coach Gene Miller sent J.J. Cramer, Marc Fisicaro and Brian O'Grady to Princeton for the regional championship tournament, which comprised the best players from each invited school. Fisicaro performed the best of the three Quakers, advancing to the round of 16. Fisicaro received a first-round bye, then easily won his second-round match against Ryan Botjer, the No. 1 player for Colgate. Finally Fisicaro, an unseeded player, upset the tournament's No. 13 seed, Mike Carter of Penn State. "He did well in the sense that he went one round further than he was expected to, but whenever I put him out on the court I expect him to win," Miller said. Fisicaro has compiled a 9-4 record this fall and has been one of the most consistent players on the team. He played well throughout the fall and did not lose a step after dropping his No. 1 seeding to freshman standout Udi Kish. In addition to turning in a superb singles performance, Fisicaro teamed up with Brian O'Grady in doubles action. The duo, who had never before teamed together, reached the third round of the event before succumbing to Harvard. "We played very well together?If we had won a crucial set point then the outcome might have been very different," said O'Grady, who has been one of the better players on the team this fall. Cramer played singles but lost in the first round to a member of the same Harvard team, which wreaked havoc on Penn all weekend. "These types of matches against quality opponents will provide us with great experience when we play against Ivy League teams this spring," Miller said.