Nation Ford gets first win on the year in tough tennis match

After dropping their first two matches of the year to Charlotte-based schools, the Nation Ford Falcons boys’ tennis team picked up its first win of the season in a 4-3 thriller over the Clover Blue Eagles.

In a marathon match that lasted over four hours, Nation Ford had to go to its No. 1 doubles team to get the win. Six of the seven matches went to a third-set tiebreaker, including both doubles matches.

First year head coach Scott Buie believes it is matches like this that is going to help his team in the long run, meaning the tough matches tend to build character. Buie played high school tennis at Providence Day in Charlotte and two years at Mary Washington College before transferring to the University of Georgia.

“We are going to be pretty good,” Buie said. “They are really solid all the way through.”

Against Clover, No. 1 singles player for Nation Ford Alex Smith won 6-1, 1-6, 10-7 in the first of several three-set tiebreakers. Falcons’ No. 2 singles player Max Kell won 6-4, 7-5 in the only non-three set match out of the seven matches played.

Clover won at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, but the Falcons bounced back at No. 5 singles as Yens Hagen won 6-4, 1-6, 10-7. However, Clover tied things at 3-3 with the No. 2 doubles team winning for the Blue Eagles. It then came down to No. 1 doubles of Smith and Thomas Welch, who won 5-7, 6-1, 10-6 to clinch things for the Falcons.

Up next for Nation Ford are matches against Northwestern and at rival Fort Mill.

This story was originally published March 20, 2017 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Nation Ford gets first win on the year in tough tennis match."