MEDFORD, MA (March 4, 2025) -- The Tufts University men's tennis team started its 2025 spring campaign on Sunday evening, knocking off No. 25 Babson College 7-0 on the road. The Jumbos were missing some players but still showed strong depth as it was able to withstand some normal starters.
The depth of the squad has been a huge strength for head coach
Karl Gregor and his squad over recent seasons, years that have seen the Jumbos continually climb the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings. This spring, Tufts comes into the season ranked No. 3 looking for its elusive first NCAA crown after making it to at least the NCAA quarterfinals the last three seasons.
The Jumbos had a strong fall as it hosted the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regionals and dominated doubles' action as three of the four teams that made the semifinals were Jumbo duos. On the singles' side,
Vuk Vuksanovic was the New England regional champion, and the team's lineup looks poised to have the right amount of experience, talent and grit to post a magical spring season.
Vuksanovic came into the spring with a sparkling 7-1 record in the fall, and upped that mark to 8-1 after a quick 6-1, 6-2 win for the Jumbos on Sunday. Vuksanovic will likely continue his stay at the No. 1 spot this spring after totally 14 wins at No. 1 as a junior.
Junior
Javier Gonzalez had a fantastic sophomore season with 17 wins at No. 2 last year, leading the squad with 20 total victories. One of the best ball strikers on the team, Gonzalez is 3-1 through the spring thus far. He was also stellar in doubles, as he's 5-1 on the season in pairs' action. Look for him to slot back in at No. 2 this season. Classmate
Alex Ganchev had a memorable fall season, as he and fellow junior
Sacha Maes were the ITA Cup champions in doubles this fall. Ganchev dealt with injuries last season, but still gutted out huge clutch wins throughout the season. Ganchev will likely slot back into the top portion of the lineup as well.
Senior
Lachie Macintosh has been one of the best players in singles for the Jumbos over the last two seasons, as he finished with 15 victories last year while notching nine at No. 3. He also had a strong doubles' campaign, winning 19 of his 26 doubles matches including going 5-2 in NESCAC play.
Senior
Derin Acaroglu returns to the lineup for his last campaign with the Jumbos, as he has had one of the best careers in program history. Acaroglu chalked up a whopping 22 wins in doubles last season, second-best on the team, and looks to be paired with Macintosh this season going forward. Sophomore
Garv Bahl missed much of the first semester but is back and looked good in his season-debut at No. 3. Bahl tallied 17 singles' wins in 2023-24 and should be another staple in the lineup this year.
Junior
Andrej Djokic returns this year after tallying a very strong 15-4 record as a sophomore, and his ability to come in during singles' and win big matches was evident during the 2023 NCAA Quarterfinals and Semifinals. Djokic with 4-1 in tournaments this fall, and already took home a win on Sunday against Babson at No. 4. Fellow junior
Sacha Maes dominated as a sophomore in doubles, tallying a team-high 24 doubles wins, including going 15-3 at No. 3 last season. Maes was part of the ITA Cup winning tandem, and he and Ganchev are ranked No. 1 in the country going into this spring. Maes and Ganchev went 8-0 in the fall, and already won their first match at Babson Sunday. Maes also won at No. 5 singles.
First-year
Stavros Mastrogamvrakis looked like an immediate contributor in the fall, as he tallied a strong effort at the ITA Regionals in both singles and doubles. He looks to battle for singles' play this spring, while also being able to hop into the doubles lineup after tallying five doubles' wins in the fall. Sophomore
Takehiro Shuda and newcomer
Nico Tremblay will be other names to watch, as Tremblay was 3-1 at ITA Regionals back in the fall, while adding four wins in doubles. Shuda picked up four wins as a first-year and will look to increase that number this year.
First-years
Bhavan Balusu,
Eren Cheung and
Andrey Ignatyev will also look to get valuable experience this season in their first springs, while sophomore
Davide Mirza also will try to crack into the lineup in his season season with the Jumbos.
--JUMBOS--
