The fourth-ranked Middlebury men's tennis team battled #1 Case Western Reserve University in an NCAA Semifinal match that lasted over four hours. The match came down to the wire, but it was the Spartans who were victorious in the final singles bout, winning in tiebreaking fashion. 
 
DOUBLES HIGHLIGHTS

• James Hopper and Vishwa Aduru gave Case Western Reserve a 1-0 edge with an 8-2 victory at the top of the lineup.
• Trailing 1-0 at #3, Panther duo Joe Mairs and Julian Wu utilized strong serving and a lob just inside the baseline to win three-straight games for a 3-1 lead. The pair never trailed again, as Wu closed out the match with a service winner for the 8-4 triumph.
• The first tiebreaker of the day came in the second slot, where Neel Epstein and Robby Ward battled Spartan duo Chris Provenzano and Diego Maza. The match was deadlocked four times before Middlebury took a 6-4 edge. Case Western Reserve responded, eventually tying the contest 7-7 to force a tiebreaker. An ace by Ward secured the tiebreaker victory 7-3, giving the Panthers a 2-1 edge. 

SINGLES HIGHLIGHTS 

• Epstein carried his momentum from doubles into singles play, shutting out his opponent 6-0 in the opening set at #3. The Panther only dropped one game in the second (6-1) to put Middlebury up 3-1.
• Case Western Reserve earned straight-set victories at #1 (6-2, 6-1), #6 (6-3, 6-4) and #4 (6-1, 7-6) to take a 4-3 edge. The second set in the fourth slot came down to a heated battle between Wu and Ansh Shah, but Shah won the tiebreaker by a score of 8-6 to earn the point.
• The Panthers leveled the match at four points apiece with a victory in the fifth spot. Ward earned a 6-3 opening-set win, but dropped a 6-1 decision in the middle frame to force a third set. Knotted 1-1 and at deuce in the third game, Ward won and carried that momentum through the remainder of the set for a 6-3 victory.
• A trip to the championship bout came down to the match in the second spot. Aidan Harris cruised to a 6-4 opening set victory and jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the middle frame. Aduru would not go away, knotting the set twice before eventually pulling away 7-5. In the third, Harris did not allow a point in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. Aduru answered and took a 6-5 edge. With the title tilt on the line, Harris dug deep and used a service winner to tie the set 6-6 and force a tiebreaker. After over four hours of Florida heat, both players were starting to tire. Harris took a 2-0 edge, but Aduru came back to take a 5-2 advantage. Harris won two more points, but Aduru was able to close out the match with a tiebreaker score of 7-4. 

NOTES

• Ward earned his 35th career win and ended the season riding a 12-match unbeaten streak. 
• Zihao Yuan finishes his time at Middlebury with an impressive 40-15 record, which is the most victories currently on the team.
• The Panthers made their seventh-straight appearance in the NCAA Semifinals and 15th overall.
• Middlebury and Case Western Reserve have only met twice in men's tennis, with both contests coming in the final four. 
• The Panthers conclude the season with an 18-4 overall record, including an 11-3 mark against nationally-ranked squads.