Knox vs. Edgewood box score
Knox vs. Dubuque box score

Dubuque, IA – Knox is off to a perfect start to the new men’s tennis season season with a pair of wins on Saturday.

The Prairie Fire (2-0) opened with a 9-0 victory against Edgewood College (0-2) and concluded the day by defeating host University of Dubuque (1-1) 5-4.

Sophomore  Karolis Ruzgas (Downers Grove, IL, Downers Grove North) might have had the toughest challenge in his #1 singles match against Edgewood.  He won in three sets 6-0, 3-6, and 10-5. 

Sophomores Jonathan Ng (Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong International School) and Walter Palmer (Wilmette, IL, New Trier), senior David Ham (Lakewood, WA, Shadow Ridge), and first-year Dustin Loch (Glen Ellyn, IL, Glenbard West) all
won in two sets.  First-year Pragyaditya Mukerjee (Kolkata, India, The Cambridge School) claimed victory in his #6 singles match by default.

Ruzgas and Palmer defeated Edgewood’s #1 doubles team 8-4, Ham and Ng cruised 8-1 in #2 doubles play, while Loch and Mukerjee won by default.

The Prairie Fire took three of the six singles matches and two of the three doubles contests to top Dubuque.

Ruzgas fell in #1 singles 4-6, 3-6.  Ng won his second #2 singles match of the day with a three set victory.  Palmer and Ham also finished the day 2-0 by winning their #3 and #4 singles matches while Loch and Mukerjee dropped their #5 and #6 matches in two sets.

Ruzgas and Palmer improved to 2-0 in #1 doubles with an 8-3 triumph against the Spartans.  Ng and Ham lost 8-4 in #2 doubles. Loch and Mukerjee are off to a 2-0 start in #3 doubles by downing Dubuque’s #3 duo 8-6.

Knox travels to Pella, Iowa next Saturday to play Morningside College at 12:00 p.m. and host Central College at 3:00 p.m.

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