ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Lightning does strike twice. In a week that has been impacted by the Midwest weather, No. 2 University of Chicago saw themselves down 4-2 to No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps before a lengthy delay halted play due to storms in the area. Just like the women's team did earlier on Tuesday, the momentum shifted in the Maroons favor when the two teams returned to the court as UChicago proceeded to make a furious comeback to secure their second NCAA national title in three seasons.
 
RESULT
No. 2 UChicago – 2
No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps – 5

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Doubles Play: No. 2 University of Chicago had an up and down battle with No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in all three games of pairs play, with the longest match taking just 49 minutes. The Maroons dominated the top spot with Leonov and Otero winning 8-3 but saw the second and third points flip flop. UChicago controlled the second but ended up losing 8-6 and were down 4-0 in the third before Wong and Asokumar came back and won 8-6 to take a 2-1 lead into solo play.
  • No. 1 Doubles – Andrei Leonov/Pat Otero defeat Freer/Robinson 8-3
  • No. 2 Doubles – Robert Zhang/Derek Hsieh fall to Kim/Mareedu 6-8
  • No. 3 Doubles – Jack Wong/Arjun Asokumar defeat Reddy/Pham 8-6
• Coach Perspective: "Up 2-1 after doubles, I always feel confident that we can find a way to get five. We've been down 2-1 twice in this tournament so far and have always found a way. I have unbelievable confidence in the men, and I felt the same way going into singles action this afternoon." – Head coach Matt Brisotti
• Player Perspective: "This season, we've been down 1-2 a ton of times, so to go up 2-1 and have that extra cushion of only needing three points was huge for us. We're a strong singles team and that gives us a bit of confidence. After the doubles lead, we emphasize that a lead really doesn't mean anything, and we are starting from scratch in singles. CMS is a really good team, and we knew it would be a dog fight, just like it was." Senior Arjun Asokumar
   
• Singles Play: Unfortunately, the Staggs had a run in them when play shifted to one-on-one action. They tied the game with a win at number six and quickly took the 4-2 lead four minutes later with almost simultaneous victory at one and five. However, with CMS needing just one match to go their way to clinch the title, the Maroons were able to take their contests at two and four to a third set with UChicago putting them away after a lighting delay of over two hours to move the score to 4-4. With things tied up, the national title came down to number three singles. Asokumar was down 5-4 in the second set before the delay but rallied to win 7-5 to force yet another extended match and would refuse to be denied even in the new frame. The senior found another gear and won six out of the next seven games and held serve as he saw his opponent whiff a return attempt to win the Maroons second team time in three years via a 5-4 score.
  • No. 1 Singles: Emil Grantcharov falls to Mareedu 2-6, 4-6
  • No. 2 Singles: Derek Hsieh defeats Freer 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
  • No. 3 Singles: Arjun Asokumar defeats Robinson 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
  • No. 4 Singles: Ajer Sher defeats Gupta 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
  • No. 5 Singles: Kane Kelley falls to Rojanasoonthon 5-7, 2-6
  • No. 6 Singles: Pat Otero falls to Pham 2-6, 6-7 [5-7]
• Coach Perspective: "When it was 4-2, I knew we were down, but we weren't out. With this group, one of the values is a will to refuse to lose. That is exactly what we did today. We can only control what is in front of us, and in this sport, there is so much we cannot control, but we handled it by taking one step at a time. I didn't address the guys as a group during the break, but I told them if they want to chat, I'm here. One thing that I did I tell them was to play tennis and not worry about external factors. I knew they were going to talk to teammates about it all and I didn't want them to overthink what was in front of them." – Head coach Matt Brisotti
• Player Perspective: "During the delay, we were in a tough spot being down 2-4. We knew it was an uphill battle but knowing how gritty our team is, we knew anything was possible. We talked about making sure to play the ball and the individual points, rather than the moment. We didn't want to play the "NCAA Championship" moment, but rather just stick to our basics each point. To be honest, I tried to silence out the entire atmosphere. I knew my teammates were cheering for me, and I tried to stay calm. By using their energy, rather than pumping up myself, I could stay calmer and more stable. I just tried to focus on one point at a time. Of course, though, looking into the eyes of my teammates is all the support I need. I play for them, and their support is and was so powerful." Senior Arjun Asokumar

CHICAGO COMMENTS

• "One of my beliefs is that if you go out, compete as hard as you can and with a good attitude and spirit, good things can happen. Today was no different than the rest of this season. We played with that determination and confidence. Also, a huge shout-out must go to my assistant coach Jay Tee for helping the men throughout the year. Our administration of Angie Torain and Erienne Roberts also get my thanks for supporting me and allowing me this opportunity. Lastly, we are grateful for our alumni and parents who do such an amazing job of staying engaged with the program and are always willing to support us." – Head coach Matt Brisotti
• "This team is different. We're not the most talented team by any means but we're the toughest and grittiest in the country. We know that if we have a positive mindset and dig deep, we can come out on top against anyone. We pride ourselves in our ability to dig out these moments and that's something we've emphasized the whole season. We've become so much more experienced up and down the lineup to the point where our freshmen are playing as composed as a senior. We place trust in ourselves and our teammates, and that's why things worked out for us today. We weren't supposed to win that match, but we deserved it. We fought harder and played the big moments better. I'm super proud of these guys and know they're more than prepared to run this title back. Huge thanks to Coach Matt and Coach Jay for their support this year. They've handled our difficult personalities through thick and thin and have never given up on us. They treat us with unconditional love and we couldn't have been able to do this without them. Also, thanks to the UChicago athletics department, specifically, Brian Bock, for coming out." – Senior Arjun Asokumar
• UChicago is now just the sixth school in NCAA D-III history to win both the men's and women's team titles in the same season. 

WHO'S ON DECK
Like the women's squad, the men will now turn their attention to the 2024-25 season and defending their national championship after several of their teammates begin play in the NCAA individual championships that start this weekend.

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