CHICAGO, Ill. – The Gustavus men’s tennis team lost to Case Western Reserve University 5-0 Sunday in the NCAA region championship at the University of Chicago. The Gusties end their season 17-3 overall, while the Spartans advance to the national quarterfinals at 12-2.
Playing in its ninth consecutive NCAA region championship, Gustavus had early leads in doubles against Case Western Reserve but eventually lost in close matches 8-5, 8-7 (7-5), and 8-6 top to bottom. The Spartans took a 4-0 lead with a straight set win at No. 1 singles and then clinched the match with a straight set win at No. 5.
CWRU was able to get revenge from the last time it faced Gustavus, which was a 5-0 decision in favor of the Gusties on Feb. 24, 2019 in the fifth place match of the ITA National Indoor Championships.
“Today’s match was obviously a tough one in the result column, but I couldn’t be prouder of how our team competed and handled adversity,” Head Coach Tommy Valentini said. “We certainly could have won on all three doubles courts – with good leads at one and three, and our winningest team all year long in a breaker at two. We were a bit unlucky to come away with the 0-3 deficit, but we stayed present and positive. In the singles, we held our nerve and handled the circumstances and all of the uncontrollable elements with poise and character. We came up short in the result column, but continue to make great strides. It’s never easy to see a season come to an end, but looking back on all the challenges we’ve faced in this crazy year, we are filled only with gratitude – to have had a season, to have made such progress and for our seniors – Lawrence Hiquiana, Mouaad Alhouni, and Xavier Sanga to be able finish their careers on the court after having come so far and given so much. Xavier was brilliant this weekend for us at two doubles as he has been all year long. We will miss them and look forward to standing on their shoulders in the future. We’re excited for what lies ahead with this group – beginning with individual nationals for Nick and Alex, and then into preparing for next season. We also want to thank our administrators, trainers, sports information team, and staff, and everyone at Gustavus for all of the support in helping us to have any kind of a season at all this year. It’s meant the world to us to be together.”
Singles
| 1. Hopper, James (CWR-M) def. Nick Aney (Jr., Rochester) (GACM) 6-3, 6-1 |
| 2. Aduru, Vishwa (CWR-M) vs. Indraneel Raut (Jr., Oshkosh, Wis.) (GACM) 6-2, 3-4, unfinished |
| 3. Chen, Matthew (CWR-M) vs. Daniel Fouchier (So., Nootdorp, Netherlands) (GACM) 6-3, 5-3, unfinished |
| 4. Aduru, Chaitanya (CWR-M) vs. Alex Budde (So., Menomonee Falls, Wis.) (GACM) 7-6 (7-4), 5-4, unfinished |
| 5. Powell, Jonathan (CWR-M) def. Caleb Fridinger (Fy., Woodbury) (GACM) 6-1, 6-3 |
| 6. Kanam, Anthony (CWR-M) vs. Jack Bergmeyer (So., Lincoln, Neb.) (GACM) 6-3, 5-2, unfinished |
Doubles
| 1. Chen, Matthew/Hopper, James (CWR-M) def. Alex Budde/Nick Aney (GACM) 8-5 |
| 2. Mabee, Neil/Powell, Jonathan (CWR-M) def. Daniel Fouchier/Xavier Sanga (Sr., Madison, Wis.) (GACM) 8-7 (7-5) |
| 3. Kanam, Anthony/Aduru, Chaitanya (CWR-M) def. Joseph Punnoose (Jr., Bloomington)/Sourabh Terakanambi (So., Apple Valley) (GACM) 8-6 |
Aney and Budde are set to compete in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships on May 28-30 in Chattanooga, Tenn.