Box Score HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Bates men's tennis team took a gritty 6-3 victory at Trinity College on Sunday, with the Bobcats winning two of four final, lengthy singles matches to clinch the win.

The match was Bates' first since Feb. 21, 2020, and its first conference match since April 28, 2019.

Bates (1-0, 1-0 NESCAC) led Trinity (2-1, 1-1 NESCAC) 4-1 after taking two out of three doubles matches and seeing first-year Alexander Gujarathi (Plymouth, Mass.) and senior captain Alex Kennedy (New York, N.Y.) defeat their singles opponents in straight sets at the third and sixth positions, respectively.

But the last four team points were hard-won on both sides. 

Bates sophomore Nick Forester (Falmouth, Maine) clinched Bates' victory with a big comeback win at No. 1 singles over Granville Kaynor. After Kaynor took the first set 6-0, Forester fought back to win 6-4 in the second set, then took the pro-set tiebreaker 10-3.

Sophomore Leo Kupferman (Montclair, N.J.) then fell narrowly to Ross Derose at No. 2 singles, 7-5, 7-6(4), while sophomore Teddy Koide (Morristown, N.J.) defeated Henry Bilicic in two extended tiebreakers, 7-6(7), 7-6(8), for Bates' sixth point. Trinity's Charlie Kilborne finalized the score with another marathon decision, 7-6(4), 7-6(4) over Bobcat first-year Nikesh Desai (Hopkinton, Mass.).

Sophomore Cameron Kania (Middlefield, Conn.) teamed up with Kupferman at No. 1 doubles in defeating the Bilicic brothers 8-5, and Forester and Desai defeated Derose and Eduardo Sanchez-Carrion 8-5 at second doubles.

Bates will next play host to Tufts on Saturday, starting at 11am.

Bates 6, Trinity 3
April 18, 2021 at Hartford, Conn.

Doubles
1. Cameron Kania/Leo Kupferman (Bates) def. Chris Bilicic/Henry Bilicic (Trinity) 8-5
2. Nick Forester/Nikesh Desai (Bates) def. Ross Derose/Eduardo Sanchez-Carrion (Trinity) 8-5
3. Granville Kaynor/Charles Kilborn (Trinity) def. Alex Kennedy/Alexander Gujarathi (Bates) 8-7

Singles
1. Nick Forester (B) def. Kaynor (T) 0-6, 6-4, 10-3
2. Derose (T) def. Kupferman (B) 7-5, 7-6 (4)
3. Gujarathi (B) def. Chris Bilicic (T) 6-3, 6-1
4. Teddy Koide (B) def. Henry Bilicic (T) 7-6 (7), 7-6 (8)
5. Kilborne (T) def. Desai (B) 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4)
6. Alex Kennedy (B) def. Cole Wells (T) 6-2, 6-4