Stags Win Final Two Matches To Hold Off MIT
CAMBRIDGE, MA. - No. 6 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis faced a 4-3 deficit to unranked MIT, but recovered to win singles matches at No. 5 and No. 6 and secure their eleventh victory of the season. Juniors Daniel Park (CMC) and Matthew Jacobs (CMC) earned the final two singles victories, allowing the Stags to tie and then overtake the Engineers on the their home indoor courts. Jacobs - who hails from nearby Swampscott, MA - got the clinching victory after coming back from down a set at No. 6.
For Jacobs, it was the second match in his career that he has been involved in a deciding match with the dual match hanging in the balance. He had lost a heart-breaking 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(3) in the third set decision in the 2018 ITA National Team Indoor championship match at No. 5 singles versus Emory. After taking an early 3-1 lead in the first set on Tuesday, Jacobs dropped the next five games to put MIT only a set away from securing the upset. However, Jacobs never trailed in the second set, and after failing to convert three set points on his serve at 5-3, then broke to level the match. In the third set he got out to 3-0 lead, then broke again at 1-4 before serving out the match.
In addition to Jacob's last-match-on heroics, Park and sophomore Jack Katzman (CMC) made critical contributions to put CMS in a position to win. Park's dominant performance - a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles - leveled the dual match at 4-all at a time where the Stags desparately needed momentum. He and partner Oscar Burney (CMC) also came back from a 5-2, two break deficit at No. 3 doubles to win the final six games and give CMS a 2-1 lead heading into the singles. Katzman gave the Stags two points at No. 2 doubles and No. 2 singles. With partner Robert Liu (CMC), the Stags' number two pair won their eighth straight dual match without a loss. Katzman then put the Stags up 3-1 in matches with his 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles.
Next up for CMS is a doubleheader at Wesleyan's Freeman Athletic Center on Wednesday. The Stags take on No. 8 Wesleyan at 10 AM EST, followed by Coast Guard Academy at 3:30 PM EST.
#6 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5) vs. MIT (4)
March 19, 2019 at Cambridge, MA (J.B. Carr Indoor Tennis Center at MIT)
Doubles
1. Alex Cauneac / Tyler Barr (MIT) def. Julian Gordy / Nikolai Parodi (CMS) 8-6
2. Jack Katzman / Robert Liu (CMS) def. Albert Go / Michael Zhao (MIT) 8-3
3. Oscar Burney / Daniel Park (CMS) def. Pablo Ampudia / Sean Ko (MIT) 8-5
Singles
1. Tyler Barr (MIT) def. Nikolai Parodi (CMS) 6-0, 6-3
2. Jack Katzman (CMS) def. Alex Cauneac (MIT) 6-2, 6-3
3. Sean Ko (MIT) def. Julian Gordy (CMS) 6-4, 7-5
4. Albert Go (MIT) def. Robert Liu (CMS) 6-3, 6-4
5. Daniel Park (CMS) def. Michael Zhao (MIT) 6-1, 6-2
6. Matthew Jacobs (CMS) def. Arman Dave (MIT) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
Order of completion
Doubles: 2, 3, 1
Singles: 2, 1, 4, 3, 5, 6