Boys tennis team wins pair to improve to 3-2 on season

The Winthrop High boys tennis team won two matches in convincing fashion to raise their record to 3-2 on the season. Coach Barbara Hoffman’s squad defeated St. Mary’s of Lynn 4-1 and then shut out Gloucester 5-0.

In the match with St. Mary’s, all three Viking singles players cruised to victories in straight sets.. Alex Hamilton at first singles defeated his counterpart, 6-4, 6-0. Brendan FitzPatrick shut out his opponent at second singles 6-0, 6-0, as did Jake Rand at third singles 6-0, 6-0.

In the doubles contests, the first doubles duo of Tyler Norris and Patrick Brogan lost a close match, 6-1, 1-6, 6-7, while the second doubles tandem of Ryan McKinnon and Connor Brugman won 6-1, 6-2.

The shutout victory over Gloucester saw Winthrop lose just one set in the entire match. Hamilton was a 6-4, 6-0 winner; FitzPatrick won 6-1, 6-3; and Rand triumphed 6-2, 6-0.

The first doubles team of Norris and Stephen Ruggiero won 3-6, 6-2, and in lieu of a third set they won a tiebreaker, 7-4. McKinnon and Brugman took care of business at second doubles, 6-0, 6-1.

The week before the Vikings dropped a close match with Peabody by a 3-2 margin. Hamilton lost 6-7, 7-5, 6-7 at first singles in a grueling match. “This by far was Alex’s longest and closest match this year, with both the first and third sets going into tiebreakers,” noted Hoffmann.

FitzPatrick also dropped a three set match, 2-6, 6-3, 4-6. “This also was a very close match,” noted Hoffmann. Rand handily defeated his foe at third singles, 6-0, 6-1.

The first doubles team of Norris and Brogan lost 4-6, 6-7 in another hotly contested match, while the tandem of McKinnon and Brugman won again, 6-2, 6-3.

Two days later the Vikings took on perennial NEC powerhouse Marblehead. Although Winthrop was shut out, Hoffmann was pleased with her team’s effort. “Marblehead almost invariably win with scores like this,” said the coach. “However, if you look at the actual match scores, I was incredibly proud of how well the boys did. Brendan at second singles and the second doubles team went to three sets. Brendan really gave the Marblehead player a run for the his money; and the second doubles team really turned it around for their second set.”

The final line score showed Alex Hamilton falling by a score of 2-6, 1-6; FitzPatrick on the short end of a 4-6, 6-4, 3-6 decision; Rand by a margin of 1-6, 1-6; the first doubles of Norris and Ruggiero, 2-6, 1-6; and the second doubles of McKinnon and Brugman, 1-6, 6-2, 1-6.

“So far the season is looking good, with two 5-0 victories already, and one of the losses to a team like Marblehead and even that was not the easy win that Marblehead might have had against us in the past,” said Hoffman, whose squad hosted Saugus yesterday (Wednesday).

The boys will host the Revere Patriots on Monday and host the Beverly Panthers next Wednesday.