Freshman Brett O'Brien won twice in singles and once in doubles as the Forester men's tennis team was edged out 5-4 by Millikin University before blanking Illinois Wesleyan University 6-0 on Saturday. Lake Forest hosted the matches at the Racine Tennis Club in Racine, Wisconsin.
O'Brien and junior Scott Drier, who was also 3-1 on the day, started with an 8-4 loss at #2 doubles and the Foresters trailed 3-0 going into singles play.
After a Big Blue victory at #5 singles pulled the visitors to within a point of clinching the match, Lake Forest began to stage a comeback when Drier finished off a 6-4, 6-3 triumph at #4. O'Brien followed with a 7-5, 6-1 win at #2 and sophomore Nick Zazove prevailed 6-1, 7-6 (10-8) at #1 to make the score 4-3. Millikin finally clinched on a victory at the bottom of the lineup and junior Matt Kacyn closed out the contest with a win at #3. He had taken the first set in a tiebreaker and his opponent retired early in the second.
The Foresters started their match against Illinois Wesleyan by winning all three points in doubles. Drier and O'Brien were the first to finish after dropping just one game. Zazove and Kacyn doubled up their opponents 8-4 at #1 and junior Joe Bove teamed with freshman Brant Christensen on an 8-6 triumph at #3.
Drier took both sets 6-1 at #4 singles and Lake Forest clinched the team victory when O'Brien recorded a 6-3, 6-1 win at #2 just before freshman Aidan Burke finished off his 6-1, 6-2 victory at #6. Zazove led 6-3, 4-1 at the top spot in the lineup when the match was called. Contests at #3 and #5 singles were never started.
The split on the day kept Lake Forest above the .500 mark at 4-3 on the year. Millikin improved to 3-1 while Illinois Wesleyan fell to 0-4.
The Foresters will host Calvin College at the racquet Club of Lake Bluff next Saturday evening. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.