MANCHESTER, CT (May 2, 2026) -- The top-seed and No. 4 ranked Tufts University men's tennis team fought off a strong Amherst College squad Saturday in the 2026 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) semifinals, knocking off the Mammoths 4-1 in play from Magic Lincer Tennis Club. 

The Jumbos (21-2) got out on top early in the match thanks to earning the doubles' point, as Senior Andrej Djokic and sophomore Kaetan Mehta knocked off George Chaidemenos and Rex Harrison 6-2 at the No. 2 spot.

Amherst evened doubles at the No. 1 spot, but Tufts senior Javier Gonzalez and sophomore Stavros Mastrogamvrakis pushed past Ronald Gualario and Albert Hu 6-4 to earn the doubles' point for the Jumbos. 

In singles, Amherst tied the match at a win apiece as Andreas Sillaste defeated Gonzalez 6-2, 6-4 at No. 1. Tufts would regain control as senior Alex Ganchev knocked off Chaidemenos 6-4, 6-1 to make it 2-1. It was the 14th straight win in singles for Ganchev this season, as he improved to 15-2 on the season. 

Mehta won his 10th straight to put the Jumbos up 3-1 in the match with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-0 win over Hu at the No. 6 spot to push Tufts to within one of the team victory. The win would come at No. 4 though, as Garv Bahl outlasted Aldiyar Abzhan 6-4, 7-6 in straight sets to help lead the Jumbos into the NESCAC title game. 

Tufts is making its fourth appearance in the NESCAC title match, all since the 2021 season, though the Jumbos are in search of their first conference title. Tufts will take on the winner of Middlebury College and Bowdoin College Sunday at 11 a.m. at Wesleyan University's John Wood Memorial Tennis Courts.