Medford, MA - The 17th-ranked Trinity University men's tennis team fell 4-0 to 3rd-ranked Tufts University on Sunday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA National Tournament at the Tufts Tennis Center, as the Jumbos clinched the match before several courts had finished.
Trinity came in riding momentum after a 4-1 victory over 35th-ranked The College of New Jersey in Saturday's second round, but the Jumbos proved a stiffer test from the outset.
In doubles, Trinity was unable to secure the point as Tufts asserted control early. The first result came at #2, where
Ethan Flores (Houston, Texas / Clear Lake) and
Roshin Kamath (League City, Texas / Clear Springs) fell 6-2 to Djokic and Mehta. The doubles point was then clinched at #3, where
Aashish Dhanani (Austin, Texas / Westwood) and
Ryan Warren (Keller, Texas / Connection Academy) were edged 6-4 by Mastrogamvrakis and Gonzalez, giving Tufts a 1-0 lead heading into singles. The #1 match featuring the 3rd-ranked pairing of
Kishan Kersten (Plano, Texas / West) and
Jared Perry (Tucson, Ariz. / Catalina Foothills) against the 2nd-ranked duo of Ganchev and Maes was left unfinished when the point was decided.
Singles was where Tufts put the match away swiftly. The first result came at #6, as Flores fell 6-3 to Mehta, pushing the score to 2-0. Moments later, Kamath dropped a 6-4 decision to Maes at #5 to extend the deficit to 3-0. The clinching point came at #3, as Dhanani was defeated 6-4, 6-4 by the 34th-ranked Djokic to seal the match for Tufts at 4-0 and bring the remaining courts to a halt.
At the time of clinch, Trinity showed fight in several of the unfinished matches. 32nd-ranked Kersten was locked in a battle with 16th-ranked Gonzalez at #1, having taken the first set 7-5 before the match was called at 3-4 in the second. 39th-ranked Perry was in a closely contested affair against 6th-ranked Ganchev at #2, trailing 2-6 and 3-3 at the time of stoppage. At the same time, Warren was putting up a strong fight at #4 against 20th-ranked Bahl, having taken the first set 7-6 (7-2) before the match was halted at 1-4 in the second.
Trinity's run to the Sweet 16 represents a strong postseason showing, and despite the result, the Tigers demonstrated resilience throughout, particularly from Kersten and Warren in the unfinished singles courts against the nation's third-ranked team.
Up Next
Perry and Kersten, as the 3rd-ranked doubles duo, have qualified for the NCAA Doubles Championships and will compete from May 22-25 at the Champions Tennis Club in Chattanooga, Tenn. Kersten, as the 32nd-ranked singles player, will also compete in the NCAA Singles Championships the same weekend.
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