CMS Men’s Tennis Falls to Top-10 USC in Season-Opening Dual Match
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Philip Martin and Nathan Arimilli had a strong performance at No. 1 doubles, holding a 5-4 lead with a chance to break for the win at the time their match was suspended, as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team fought USC, the No. 9 ranked team in Division I, on Friday afternoon at David Marks Tennis Stadium before dropping a 7-0 decision in its first dual match of the season.
Martin and Arimilli, who reached the ITA Cup Division III national finals in the fall, started with a deuce point hold in the first game at No. 1 doubles. The teams exchanged service breaks in games six and seven, then each held once to give the Stags top pair a 5-4 lead. Before the service game could begin, though, USC clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win at No. 3, leaving the match unfinished.
USC swept in singles, but CMS had some bright moments individually. Robert Liu stayed close at No. 2 with Wojtek Marek, keeping his first set even at 3-3 at the midway point before Marek closed for a 6-3 win and went on to take the match 6-3, 6-2. Ian Freer had a big rally at No. 5, winning three straight games to pull back within 5-4 and get back on serve, before Ryan Colby broke for a 6-4 first-set win and then took the match 6-4, 6-1. Martin also shook off a tough 6-0 first set at No. 1 to take a 2-1 lead in the second before falling 6-3.
Four Stags - Martin, Arimilli, Matthew Robinson, and Christopher Li - were making their CMS Tennis debuts against the Trojans on Friday.
CMS will be back in action on Feb. 12 when it has a pair of matches at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center, taking on Westcliff at 10 a.m. and Hope International at 3 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (0) vs. USC (7)
January 21, 2022 at Los Angeles, Calif. (David Marks Tennis Stadium)
1. Stefan Dostanic/Wojtek Marek (USC) vs. Nathan Arimilli/Philip Martin (CMS) 4-5, unfinished
2. Ryan Colby/Bradley Frye (USC) def. Ian Freer/Matthew Robinson (CMS) 6-1
3. Paul Barretto/Peter Makk (USC) def. Ethan Carroll/Robert Liu (CMS) 6-3
Singles
1. Stefan Dostanic (USC) def. Philip Martin (CMS) 6-0, 6-3
2. Wojtek Marek (USC) def. Robert Liu (CMS) 6-3, 6-2
3. Bradley Frye (USC) def. Ethan Carroll (CMS) 6-2, 6-2
4. Peter Makk (USC) def. Nathan Arimilli (CMS) 6-0, 6-1
5. Ryan Colby (USC) def. Ian Freer (CMS) 6-4, 6-2
6. Paul Barretto (USC) def. Christopher Li (CMS) 6-0, 6-2
Order of completion
Doubles: 2, 3
Singles: 1, 4, 3, 6, 5, 2