It’s a good thing Esteban Ferrero likes center stage.
That’s exactly where the Montana State senior found himself on Sunday, battling Montana’s David Cysneiros in the decisive contest of a 4-3 Bobcat victory over Montana in men’s tennis at the Bobcat Tennis Center. In the last match to be completed, Ferrero broke serve with a one-set lead at 3-2 and coasted home to seal the win, which the native of Colombia said was as enjoyable as it was important.
“It’s always fun to play for my team (to win), and to do well,” Ferrero said with a smile after helping the Bobcats snap a four-match losing streak. “It’s been a while since everything went right in a match. It feels good to fight hard and win.”
Ferrero’s opportunity to clinch came because MSU grabbed the doubles point, then earned wins at the top of the singles ladder by Pawel Turzanski at no. one and Fletcher Keyes at no. two. Turzanski fought for a third-set victory in singles play, and teamed with Corey Smith for an 8-4 doubles win. Alberto Fuentes and Fletcher Keyes earned a hard-fought 9-8 doubles victory.
With the groundwork laid, Ferrero took control of the no. five singles match early to seal MSU’s victory. After breaking serve at 3-2, he won held serve twice for the match. Ferrero said he could feel the tide turn in his favor during that game. “It was a change in momentum for sure,” he said. “It was my time, and I started controlling (the match).”
MSU coach Mike Phillips lauded his team’s willingness to compete. “We needed that boost of confidence to fight through some things and get out of the rut,” Phillips said. “The doubles (competition) was huge. We came through in some really close matches. (Turzanski) is playing at a really high level. It was a good team performance.”
With momentum from the victory in tow, MSU hits the road next weekend for a swing through California. The Bobcats play at UC Riverside, Azusa Pacific, and Loyola Marymount before enjoying spring break. Sunday’s win over the Grizzlies counts as a non-conference match.
SINGLES
#1: Pawel Turzanski (MSU) def. Raydner Ramos (UM) 6-7, 6-4, 6-2
#2: Fletcher Keyes (MSU) def. Carl Kuschke (UM) 6-4, 6-4
#3: Mikolai Borkowski (UM) def. Corey Smith (MSU) 6-0, 6-2
#4: Josh Smith (UM) def. Alberto Fuentes (MSU) 6-0, 6-1
#5: Esteban Ferrero (MSU) def. David Cysneiros (UM) 7-5, 6-3
#6: Mike Facey (UM) def. Myles Perkins (MSU) 6-3, 6-4
DOUBLES
#1: Fuentes/Keyes (MSU) def. Mikolai Borkowski/Carl Kuschke (UM) 9-8
#2: Smith/Turzanski (MSU) def. David Cysneiros/Raydner Ramos (UM) 8-4
#3: Perkins/Ferrero (MSU) def. Josh Smith/Mike Facey (UM) 8-3