Recap courtesy of MIT
CAMBRIDGE – In its final match of the regular season, the MIT men's tennis team defeated nationally-ranked No. 13 Tufts University, 5-4, on Friday afternoon. With the win, the Engineers improved to 13-4 while the Jumbos moved to 12-6 on the year.
Tufts sophomore Zain Ali and junior Kevin Kelly topped freshman Tyler Barr and junior Avi Walden, 8-2, in the No. 3 doubles position for the first point of the day. The Engineers evened the match in the second slot when senior Kevin Wang and freshman Sean Ko defeated seniors Jay Glickman and Rob Jacobson, 8-4. MIT claimed a 2-1 lead after the No. 1 tandem of freshman Alex Cauneac and sophomore Bryan Lilley edged out senior Nick Cary and sophomore Rohan Gupte, 9-8 (3).
At the top of the singles ladder, Cauneac defeated Glickman, 6-4, 6-1 while Gupte bested Wang, 6-2, 6-3 in the second spot. Tufts also picked up victories in the No. 5 and No. 6 positions to help the Jumbos go up 4-3. Cary topped senior Dennis Garcia 6-3, 6-2, and Kelly generated a 6-4, 6-2 win over junior Kenny Gea.
The Engineers then posted a pair three-set victories to clinch the match. In the fourth slot Jacobson overpowered Ko, 6-1, in the first set, but Ko came back to produce 6-1 and 6-3 marks. At the No. 3 spot, Barr dropped the first set to Ali, 6-3, but bounced back to record a pair of 6-3 decisions for the final point.
Next up for MIT will be the semifinals of the NEWMAC Tournament which it will host on May 7. Tufts, meanwhile, will close out the regular season on Sunday with a home match against NESCAC foe Bowdoin College.
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