The sixth-ranked Middlebury men's tennis team continued its spring trip, returning to its winning ways on Friday with a 7-0 blanking of Grinnell. The match was played at The Claremont Club in Claremont, California.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The Panthers grabbed the first point with a pair of victories in doubles action. Neel Epstein and Hugh Hentschel cruised to a 6-2 triumph at #2 before Thehan Wijemanne and Noah Laber claimed a 6-4 win in the top position.
- The winning ways for the Panthers continued in singles action, as #2 Laber (6-2, 6-3) and #1 Julian Wu (6-1, 6-3) claimed sweeps to push the squad ahead 3-0.
- Noah Lewis clinched the match in the fourth spot, breezing by his opponent in straight sets (6-0, 6-1) for a 4-0 advantage.
- Nikky Kondamuri claimed identical 6-2 set scores in the sixth slot.
- Epstein needed a tiebreaker in the second set before recording a 6-0, 7-6 (5) win, while Reif Larsen closed the contest with a 7-6 (6), 6-2 decision at #5 for the final 7-0 tally.
NOTES
- Kondamuri and Larsen tallied their respective fifth-straight singles victories, while Kondamuri improved to 10-2 this season.
- Wijemanne posted his 10th doubles win this year, including a perfect 3-0 while playing in the top spot.
- The match signified the first meeting between the schools in men's tennis.
The Panthers conclude their west coast trip with a Saturday match scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET against #20 Redlands.
