Prep boys tennis: Naples avenges loss to Fort Myers with gritty regional semifinal win

It wasn't always easy, but the result was exactly what the Naples High School boys tennis team had in mind.

Facing Fort Myers in a rematch of last year's Class 3A regional semifinal -- won 4-1 by the Green Wave -- the Golden Eagles were out for revenge Wednesday. And that's just what they got, although Fort Myers certainly made things difficult in the nearly four-hour match between longtime rivals.

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"We had some revenge to do, and we definitely got that," Naples No. 1 singles player Michael Moll said. "Our guys weren't all feeling 100 percent, but sometimes it's mind over matter."

Naples hosts Venice on Thursday afternoon in the regional championship, with a spot in the state team tournament on the line.

Moll got the Golden Eagles on the board first with an easy 6-2, 6-3 win over the Green Wave's Tyler Carlin. And as it turns out, Moll played a key part in clinching the match, teaming with Justin Braverman for a 6-2, 6-4 win over Fort Myers' No. 1 doubles duo of Carlin and Chris Crouch.

In between, there was plenty of drama, particularly in the No. 3 and No. 4 singles matches.

At No. 3, Fort Myers' Christian Spencer cruised to a 6-2 first-set win over Naples' Mason Anderson. But Anderson came roaring back in the second set, grabbing a 5-1 lead before Spencer staged a tremendous comeback. Spencer won the final six games to close out the 6-2, 7-5 win and get the Green Wave on the board at 2-1.

Needing at least one win in the two remaining singles matches to ensure the contest got to the doubles phase, Fort Myers nearly got both. Compromised by injury, Naples' No. 2 singles player Braverman was forced to serve underhand the entire afternoon. He mustered up enough grit and determination to gut out a 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 win over Crouch to give the Golden Eagles a 3-1 lead. 

That left the No. 4 singles match between Naples' Garnel Guerrier and Fort Myers' Vikram Raju. Back and forth they dueled, with Raju pulling out the match in a third-set tiebreaker.

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"We've probably played (Fort Myers) six times in the last 10 years in crucial playoff situations," Naples coach Tony Kamen said. "They got the best of us in the regional semis last year, so I knew it was going to be tight. Every match was competitive. But the guys stepped up when they needed to and it was a great win."

Since Wednesday's match was a makeup of Tuesday's postponed contest, Naples must play on back-to-back days. But no one on the Golden Eagles seemed particularly worried about it.

"We've all grown up playing tennis in Naples, Florida, so we're used to the heat, and we're all in pretty good shape," Moll said. "So I think we should be all good physically for (Thursday) and it's all about preparing ourselves mentally now."

Kamen had a simple message for his squad following the grueling win over the Green Wave.

"I just told them to make sure they were good and hydrated and ready to go," Kamen said. "A lot of these guys play weekend tournaments and in those tournaments, you play the next day, too, and sometimes a couple rounds in a day, so I think they're up for it."

Prep tennis

Regional semifinals

Class 1A

Boys

Bradenton-St. Stephen's 4, Community School 0

Sarasota-Out-of-Door 5, Seacrest 0

Girls

Community School 4, Sarasota-Out-of-Door 1

Class 3A

Boys

Naples 4, Fort Myers 2

Venice 4, Gulf Coast 0

Girls

Gulf Coast 4, Venice 1

Barron Collier 4, Fort Myers 3

Regional finals

Thursday

Class 1A

Girls

Bradenton-St. Stephen's at Community School, 3:30 p.m.

Class 3A

Girls

Barron Collier at Gulf Coast, 3 p.m.

Boys

Venice at Naples, 3 p.m.