WHITEWATER, Wis. – In its opening match of the NCAA Division III Championship, the University of Chicago men's tennis team defeated Coe College 5-1 in Saturday's second round.
The No. 8-ranked Maroons (17-5) will next play No. 18-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College in the NCAA Regional Final on Sunday. The No. 36-ranked Kohawks ended their season at 21-7.
UChicago was picked as the top-seeded team at the six-team University of Wisconsin-Whitewater regional. As a result, the Maroons received a first-round bye on Friday. The two opponents had met previously in the year, as UChicago swept Coe 9-0 on Jan. 31.
Saturday's contest adhered to NCAA postseason team scoring, in which the match is ended once one side has reached decision with five wins out of nine total matches. The Kohawks were able to secure an 8-5 win at No. 2 doubles. But the Maroons doubled up with an 8-4 win at No. 1 (seniors Deepak Sabada and Ankur Bhargava) and an 8-2 victory at No. 3 (freshmen Nicolas Chua and David Liu).
UChicago flexed its muscle in singles and won the first set in all six matches. Sophomore Sven Kranz and Liu ran through their opponents by matching 6-0, 6-2 scores at No. 2 and No. 6 singles, respectively. The clinching fifth point came from freshman Peter Leung at No. 4 with a final score of 6-2, 6-1.
UChicago 5, Coe 1
Singles
1. Nicolas Chua (UC) vs. Noah Sprinkel (Coe) 6-4, unfinished
2. Sven Kranz (UC) def. Riley Galbraith (Coe) 6-0, 6-2
3. Deepak Sabada (UC) vs. Brady Anderson (Coe) 6-4, 2-3, unfinished
4. Peter Leung (UC) def. Ryan Hickman (Coe) 6-2, 6-1
5. Luke Tsai (UC) vs. Alex Bernt (Coe) 6-4, 5-1, unfinished
6. David Liu (UC) def. Chad Moklestad (Coe) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
1. Deepak Sabada/Ankur Bhargava (UC) def. Riley Galbraith/Brady Anderson (Coe) 8-4
2. Noah Sprinkel/Ryan Hickman (Coe) def. Luke Tsai/Max Hawkins (UC) 8-5
3. Nicolas Chua/David Liu (UC) def. Zach Decker/Mark Kroll (Coe) 8-2
NEXT MATCH:
- Sunday, May 10 – UChicago vs. Gustavus Adolphus College (NCAA Regional), 12 PM
