Thurmans help FM boys to 2-0 start

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BY PCC STAFF

FORT MADISON - Fort Madison seniors Jason and Vasin Thurman are picking up right where they left off after almost two years with no competitive tennis.

The two HTC seniors playing in the co-op agreement with Fort Madison High School are 4-0 on the year in singles play and 2-0 in doubles as the Bloodhounds rolled Burlington 6-3 Monday night in the home opener for Fort Madison.

After advancing to the state tournament in their freshman and sophomore years, the pandemic shut down spring sports in 2020 robbing them of a chance for their first medal at Waterloo's Byrnes Tennis Park.

Now seniors, the two have their sights set on a return trip and placing at the state meet if all goes well on and off the court.

Fort Madison's Vasin Thurman blasts a return Monday night in his 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Burlington's Mike Mercer. The Hounds are 2-0 on the year after early conference wins over Fairfield and the Grayhounds. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

Playing at No. 1 singles Monday night at home against Burlington, Jason Thurman rolled to an easy 6-0, 6-2 win over the Grayhound's Brendan Hale. Thurman's first service would regularly give Hale problems and the Bloodhound would occasionally mix in a body serve that kept his opponent off balance.

Vasin Thurman would sweep Mike Mercer at No. 2 singles 6-0, 6-0. The Thurman twins who've been playing together since their youth, play a very similar uptempo game regularly coming to the net on short second serves and keeping the ball in play.

The Bloodhounds got wins at No. 3 singles from Levi Sissell, 6-4, 6-4 for over Owen Fawcett and at No. 5 from Kadin Medland, playing in his first varsity season. Medland won 6-2, 6-2 over Burlington's Mason Rachowicz.

The Grayhounds got wins at No. 4 and No. 6 singles with Tice Bertleshofer and Jackson Carlson beating Brice Workman and Tyler Horn.

In doubles action, the Thurmans found themselves behind early against Hale and Bertleshofer down a set at 5-7. But the two battled back in the second set for a 6-2 win and carried that momentum into a 10-5 tiebreaker win in the best two of three

Sissel and Workman would defeat Fawcett and Carlson in the next court also dropping the first set to Burlington. But the Bloodhounds rebounded from a 2-6 first set loss to take the second set easily 6-1 and won the tiebreaker 10-7.

Mercer and Rachowicz won over FMHS' Medland and Horn in No. 3 doubles 6-2, 6-4.

The Bloodhounds opened the year with a 7-2 win over Fairfield on the road last week and take on Mt. Pleasant Thursday in East Park.

bloodhounds, boys, fort madison, Grayhounds, Pen City Current, sports, Tennis, varsity

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