RALEIGH, N.C. – The 9^th-ranked Columbia men's tennis team won four straight singles matches to come back and defeat NC State, 4-3 on the road Sunday afternoon.
 
Columbia (3-1) lost the doubles point to start the match as NC State took wins in the doubles No. 2 and 3. Fons Van Sambeek and Braden Shick took a 6-2 win against No. 56 Jayden Templeman and Sachin Palta to start doubles action. The Lions leveled the score as Theo Winegar and Michael Zheng fought to defeat Robin Catry and Luca Staeheli, 7-6(3) in the top doubles.
 
With only the No. 2 doubles still playing, NC State's No. 13 duo of Joseph Wayand and Martin Borisiouk defeated No. 21 Max Westpahl and Nicolas Kotzen in a tight, 7-6(5) contest to clinch the doubles point for the Wolfpack.
 
NC State continued to control the match to start singles with wins in the No. 4 and 1 spots. NC State's Shick defeated No. 106 Ishaan Ravichander in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. No. 120 Robin Catry extended NC State's lead to 3-0 by defeating No. 24 Zheng in the top singles, 6-4, 6-4.
 
Alex Kotzen posted Columbia's first point of the match with a three-set, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 win over Sambeek in the No. 2 singles. Nicolas Kotzen followed that up with a three-set thriller over Staeheli in the No. 3 spot, 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4. No. 110 Westphal helped Columbia tie the match, 3-3 with a win against Damien Salvestre in the No. 5 singles, 7-5, 6-3.
 
With all the attention turned to the No. 6 singles, Hugo Hashimoto faced NC State's Borisiouk. Hashimoto claimed the first set before Borisiouk won the second set. Hashimoto powered through to claim the third set and clinch the Columbia victory with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 win over Borisiouk.
 
RESULTS
#9 Columbia 4, NC State 3
Singles
1. #120 Robin Catry (ST) def. #24 Michael Zheng (COL) 6-4, 6-4
2. Alex Kotzen (COL) def. Fons Van Sambeek (ST) 6-2, 5-7, 6-3
3. Nicolas Kotzen (COL) def. Luca Staeheli (ST) 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-4
4. Braden Shick (ST) def. #106 Ishaan Ravichander (COL) 6-2, 6-3
5. #110 Max Westphal (COL) def. Damien Salvestre (ST) 7-5, 6-3
6. Hugo Hashimoto (COL) def. Martin Borisiouk (ST) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
 
Doubles
1. Theo Winegar/Michael Zheng (COL) def. Robin Catry/Luca Staeheli (ST) 7-6 (7-3)
2. #13 Joseph Wayand/Martin Borisiouk (ST) def. #21 Max Westphal/Nicolas Kotzen (COL) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Fons Van Sambeek/Braden Shick (ST) def. #56 Jayden Templeman/Sachin Palta (COL) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,1,2,3,5,6)
 
UP NEXT
Columbia returns home to host No. 6 Tennessee on Friday at the Philip and Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
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