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JoeMairsJulianWu23ColbyNESCACQuarters
Ali Paquette
Joe Mairs and Julian Wu picked up a key point with the win at #3 doubles.
5
Winner Middlebury MIDDM (14-3)
2
Tufts TUFTSM (20-1)
Winner
Middlebury MIDDM
(14-3)
5
Final
2
Tufts TUFTSM
(20-1)

Match Recap: Men's Tennis |

Men’s Tennis Knocks Off Top-Seeded Tufts 5-2 In NESCAC Semifinal Action

The #4/fourth-seeded Middlebury men's tennis team knocked off #2/top-seeded Tufts 5-2 in NESCAC Semifinal action on Saturday. The Panthers snapped the Jumbos' 20-match unbeaten streak to advance to the championship bout for the eighth-straight season. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS
  • The top tandem of Aidan Harris and Noah Laber took a 3-1 lead and never looked back en route to an 8-3 victory.
  • Tufts evened the match with a point in a hard-fought battle at #2. The team of Neel Epstein and Robby Ward raced out to a 4-1 lead before their opponents evened the match at 4-4 and 6-6. The two sides exchanged the next two games before the Jumbo pair of Josh Belandres and Rishabh Sharda edged Epstein and Ward by an 8-7 (6) tally.
  • The third duo of Julian Wu and Joe Mairs battled back from a 5-1 deficit against the Jumbo tandem of Jack Moldenhauer and Alex Ganchev to earn an 8-7 (5) victory to give Middlebury a 2-1 edge heading to singles.
  • Zihao Yuan kept the momentum rolling in the sixth slot, posting a 6-2, 6-1 triumph to push the Panther advantage to 3-1.
  • Following a 6-2 victory in his opening set, Laber claimed a back-and-forth second set by a 7-5 score for a win at #1.
  • The Jumbos moved to within two (4-2) after a straight-set victory in the third slot.
  • In the fifth spot, Ward dropped his opening set by a 6-2 score, but rebounded to level the match with a 6-3 triumph in set two. Ward won the first two games and never looked back to clinch the match 6-2 and send the Panthers to the title tilt.
  • In the other two matches that went unfinished, Harris fell in the opening set at #2 and each player won a game in the second set. The fourth slot saw Wu trail his opponent 5-4 in the opening frame.
NOTES
  • Ward picked up his eighth-straight win in singles play.
  • Laber and Yuan both improved to 8-2 in their last 10 matches as individuals.
  • The duo of Harris and Laber claimed their 10th victory in doubles action.
Middlebury continues its title defense on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. when it takes on second-seeded Bowdoin. The Panthers will look to avenge a loss from April 16 when the Polar Bears earned a tight 5-4 triumph during the regular season.
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