Meyer Prevails in Marathon Match at West Side Tennis Championships

As day turned into night at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills Tuesday, Pleasantville’s Alexander Meyer was still battling away on court during his second round match at the West Side Tennis Championships.

Competing in the 18-and-under division, Meyer played a match extending more than three hours in his second round encounter against Jeremy Schur of Forest Hills, fighting off three match points before finally prevailing with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory.

Serving to stay in the match at 4-5 in the final set, Meyer fought off three match points on his own serve with a series of strong forehands after grueling baseline rallies. Schur held game points on his own serve while serving at 5-5, but a backhand passing shot from Meyer in his third break point opportunity gave him the chance to serve out the match.

Serving at 6-5, Meyer began to tighten up on his groundstrokes with the prospect of closing out the match just a few points away, sending a short ball well wide on his first match point. On his fourth match point, a long baseline rally ensued before Schur finally steered a backhand into the bottom of the net.

Despite the extremely physically battle, Meyer said he was confident he would be fine to play again the following day.

“I think I’ll feel pretty good tomorrow,” said Meyer. “Of course, it’s tough to say because my adrenaline is still going now, but I’m used to playing matches on consecutive days.”

Meyer is currently part of the No. 1 doubles team on the Varsity Boys tennis squad at Byram Hills High School. He won his quarterfinal match today against No. 2 seed Eric Brinzensky of Staten Island. The tournament continues tomorrow with a semifinal match at 2 p.m., where Meyer will face off against No. 5 ranked Kevin Katz. The finals are set for Friday at 2 p.m. To follow Meyer's progress throughout the event, visit the tournament drawsheet.