NATIONAL CHAMPS! UChicago Men’s Tennis Beats CWRU 5-2 in NCAA Finals

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ORLANDO – When Christian Alshon stepped to the service line up 5-3, 40-love within the third set on Wednesday afternoon, historical past was resting on his racket. On his very subsequent serve, the College of Chicago junior pummeled an ace straight down the T.

That clinching level set off a raucous celebration on the courts because the UChicago males’s tennis crew defeated Case Western Reserve College 5-2 within the NCAA Division III Championship title match. The Maroon males grew to become the primary crew to win an NCAA Division III nationwide championship in class historical past.

The No. 1-ranked Maroons capped their historic season on a 15-match successful streak, ending with a 22-1 general file. The 22 victories broke the earlier program file of 20 wins set in 2019.

UChicago males’s tennis was a program on the rise lately. A youthful 2015 squad made a run to the NCAA semifinals for this system’s first time ever – a feat the Maroons would accomplish three extra instances within the subsequent 4 years. Nevertheless, the semis proved to be a roadblock till the 2022 season.

The Maroons have been again within the NCAA semis for the fifth time on Tuesday, with No. 3-ranked Tufts College standing in the way in which. A barnburner commenced within the sweltering Florida warmth because the groups battled to a 4-4 tie with one match remaining. Alshon fought via cramping in his No. 1 singles match and served up an ace to finish it, sending his squad via to the NCAA nationwide title match.

A well-recognized foe awaited. No. 2-ranked Case Western Reserve College (25-5 file) loomed on the opposite facet of the online. As convention rivals within the College Athletic Affiliation (UAA), the 2 groups had already met twice this season. CWRU claimed the primary matchup within the finals of the ITA Indoor Nationwide Championship again in February by a 5-1 rating. UChicago then repaid the favor with a 5-0 triumph within the UAA Championship match on April 23.

The trilogy got here to a head on Wednesday morning at america Tennis Affiliation (USTA) Nationwide Campus. Doubles play broke in favor of UChicago on the onset. Alshon and sophomore Derek Hsieh bested their opponents at No. 1 doubles by an 8-4 margin. The No. 3 tandem of junior Sachin Das and senior Alex Guzhva cruised to an 8-2 win. The Spartans countered by capturing a crew level on the No. 2 place.

With six singles matches set to start, the Maroons knew they wanted three wins to safe the title. Guzhva and Shramay Dhawan obliged – the seniors have been victorious by matching scores of 6-4, 6-1 on the No. 4 and No. 5 positions, respectively.

Regardless of holding a 4-1 lead within the crew scoring, the Maroons have been nonetheless examined all the way in which right down to the wire. CWRU obtained a straight-sets win at No. 2, and the remaining three matches all went to deciding third units.

It was Alshon who would play the hero as soon as once more. On the No. 1 place, the junior dropped the primary set 6-3 to James Hopper earlier than rallying to take the second set 6-2. The third set noticed Alshon draw forward 4-2, however Hopper countered with a service break to make it 4-3. Undeterred, Alshon instantly broke Hopper’s serve to place the Maroons on the sting of victory at 5-3. 4 factors later, the Maroons have been formally topped NCAA nationwide champions.

Throughout its time as a member of NCAA Division III, UChicago has reached the nationwide championship last on 5 completely different events. Ladies’s soccer was the nationwide runner-up in 2003 and 2017. Ladies’s tennis took second place in 2012. The 2022 UChicago males’s and girls’s tennis groups each reached the ultimate this yr.

UChicago 5, Case Western Reserve 2
Singles
1. Christian Alshon (UC) def. James Hopper (CWR) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
2. Vishwa Aduru (CWR) def. Arjun Asokumar (UC) 6-4, 6-1
3. Derek Hsieh (UC) vs. Ansh Shah (CWR) 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 1-2, unfinished
4. Alex Guzhva (UC) def. Michael Sutanto (CWR) 6-4, 6-1
5. Shramay Dhawan (UC) def. Chaitanya Aduru (CWR) 6-4, 6-1
6. Andrei Leonov (UC) vs. Jonathan Powell (CWR) 5-7, 6-4, 1-2, unfinished
Doubles
1. Christian Alshon/Derek Hsieh (UC) def. James Hopper/Jonathan Powell (CWR-M) 8-4
2. Vishwa Aduru/Sahil Dayal (CWR) def. Arjun Asokumar/Andrei Leonov (UC) 8-3
3. Sachin Das/Alex Guzhva (UC) def. Chaitanya Aduru/Michael Sutanto (CWR) 8-2