POMONA, Calif. – The No. 14 Tufts University men's tennis team suffered its first loss of the 2017 season at the hands of No. 5 University of Chicago, as the Maroons claimed a 9-0 victory during a neutral-site match on Tuesday at Pomona-Pitzer in Pomona, California.
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| Zain Ali nearly defeated Charlie Pei in No. 2 singles on Tuesday. |
The Maroons (12-1) were led by freshmen Ninan Kumar (2-0) and Erik Kerrigan (2-0), and sophomore Charlie Pei (2-0), as the three individuals all posted a victory in singles and doubles action.
The setback puts an end to the Jumbos' three-match winning streak, as the squad opened the season with a 6-3 triumph at Point Loma on Saturday, and then took down the College of the Desert (6-0) and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (9-0) on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
Freshman Zach Shaff of the Jumbos (3-1) battled with Kerrigan during No. 4 singles, as Kerrigan won the opening set, 6-2, and then Shaff countered with a 6-4 victory in second-set action. Kerrigan claimed the decisive third set, 6-0.
During No. 1 doubles action, Kumar and Kerrigan outlasted juniors Rohan Gupte and Griffin Brockman, 8-2. Kumar was also victorious over freshman Nathan Niemiec, 6-3, 6-3, during No. 5 singles action.
Junior Zain Ali of the Jumbos fought back immediately after dropping first-set action, 6-3, to Pei in No. 2 singles, as he posted a commanding 6-2 triumph in second-set action. It took 10 games for the third set to be decided, but ultimately Pei claimed the must-win set, 6-4.
Ali and freshman Benjamin Biswas won a handful of games during No. 3 doubles for the Jumbos, but Pei and junior Bobby Bethke recorded an 8-5 win.
The Jumbos will be back in action on Wednesday against No. 37 Colby at noon in Claremont, California.
Written by Trevor Wenners, Athletic Communications Intern
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