SAN ANTONIO, Texas – In a marquee match-up of top-five squads, the University of Chicago men's tennis team emerged as the road victors 7-2 over Trinity University (Texas) on Friday afternoon.
The No. 2-ranked Maroons improved to 10-1 while the No. 5-ranked Tigers dropped to 11-5. The loss also ended Trinity's 28-match winning streak at home.
Playing for the third-straight day on its spring break trip, UChicago took a quick 2-0 lead in doubles. The No. 2 tandem of sophomore Arjun Asokumar and first-year Andrei Leonov won 8-2, while junior Sachin Das and first-year Pat Otero were victorious 8-3 at No. 3. The Tigers prevented the doubles sweep with a big rally at No. 1.
The Maroons flexed their muscles in singles action, prevailing in five out of the six bouts. Junior Christian Alshon was first off the courts with a 6-4, 6-2 victory at the No. 1 position. Sophomore Derek Hsieh (No. 3) and senior Shramay Dhawan (No. 6) mirrored each other's score lines with 7-6, 6-2 wins. Senior Alex Guzhva won in straight sets at No. 5 (6-1, 7-6) and Asokumar picked up a three-set victory at No. 2 (3-6, 6-2, 10-3).
"That was a good win against a top-5 team on the road in a rowdy environment," Head Coach Jay Tee said. "I can't say enough about how well the guys kept their composure and played their best in the clutch, when it would have been easy to let the moment and the atmosphere rattle them. We were incredibly physical and were able to outlast a team that is used to the sun and the heat, which is a great sign of our mental and physical toughness."
UChicago 7, Trinity (Texas) 2
Singles
1. Christian Alshon (UC) def. Cameron Krimbill (TU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Arjun Asokumar (UC) def. Hao Nguyen (TU) 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-3)
3. Derek Hsieh (UC) def. Alessio Azzalini (TU) 7-6 (8-6), 6-2
4. Christian Settles (TU) def. Sachin Das (UC) 5-7, 6-2, 1-0 (10-4)
5. Alex Guzhva (UC) def. Wilson Hamilton (TU) 6-1, 7-6 (7-5)
6. Shramay Dhawan (UC) def. Eric Liao (TU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
Doubles
1. Hao Nguyen/Christian Settles (TU) def. Christian Alshon/Derek Hsieh (UC) 8-6
2. Arjun Asokumar/Andrei Leonov (UC) def. Wilson Hamilton/Cameron Goldstein (TU) 8-2
3. Sachin Das/Pat Otero (UC) def. Robert Chang/Dalton Locke (TU) 8-3
NEXT MATCH:
- Sunday, April 3 @ 10:00 AM – UChicago vs. Gustavus Adolphus College (at West Bend, Wis.)
