Down 3-0, CMS Men's Tennis Comes Back To Beat WashU to Advance to Stag-Hen Finals

CLAREMONT, Calif. - After falling into a 3-0 hole after doubles, the No. 4 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team had a gritty comeback in singles, with five of the six matches going to three sets, as it defeated No. 3 WashU 5-4 to advance to the championship match of the Stag-Hen Invitational, which will be held tomorrow at 10 am against Trinity University. 

Earlier in the day, CMS defeated No. 15 Gustavus Adolphus 7-2 to move on to the semifinals, and then had to battle through three-setters on almost every court in order to come back from the 3-0 deficit. The Stags improve to 11-2 on the year with the two wins. 

In the WashU match, Michael Hao was a late addition to the lineup at the No. 6 spot and was the only player to win in straight sets, taking a 6-1, 6-3 win to close the Stags to within 3-1. However, the other five courts all resulted in splits, as the drama continued to build. 

The Bears only needed to win on two courts, which meant that Philip Martin and Matthew Robinson would need to come back after dropping their first sets at the No. 2 and No. 3 singles positions. Martin - recognizing an opponent who was battling fatigue - ran off eleven straight games en route to a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 win to close the gap to 3-2. 

Robinson also pulled even at No. 3, settling himself to take the second set after yielding an early break. Robinson also capitalized on the fatigue of his opponent, who was forced to retire due to cramps at break point in the first game of the third set.

With the dual match now even at 3-all, Robert Liu and Chistopher Li found themselves in deciding third sets at No. 1 and No. 4, even though both had won their opening sets. Liu seemed on the verge of closing out his win in three, leading 5-1 in the deciding set, but couldn't convert when serving for the match at 5-1 or at 5-3. Having been broken twice in the third, he faced another break point at 5-all, but held serve, and then broke at love in the final game to give CMS a 4-3 advantage in the team score. 

Li similarly won a convincing first set before faltering in the second. However, he regrouped to start the third set and took control, taking a 5-2 lead. His opponent held serve, and Li finally was able to provide the clinch with a service winner wich earned him a 6-2, 0-6, 6-3 win and complete the improbable comeback for CMS. 

The first match of the day saw CMS take a 2-1 lead after tight doubles matches against Gustavus Adolphus. Liu and Jack Katzman earned an 8-6 win at No. 1, and Martin and Robinson combined for an 8-5 win at No. 2.

Li earned the first singles win at No. 3 with a 6-3, 6-1 win, Liu followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 1, and Ethan Carroll earned the clinch with a 7-6, 6-1 win at No. 4. Hao added a win at No. 5 (6-4, 6-3) and Ian Habbestad captured a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 6 for the seventh Stag point.  

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (7) vs. Gustavus Adolphus (2)
March 18, 2022 at Claremont, CA. (Biszantz Family Tennis Center) Stag-Hen Invitational 1st Round

Doubles
1. Jack Katzman/Robert Liu (CMS) def. Nicholas Aney/Alex Budde (GAC) 8-6
2. Philip Martin/Matthew Robinson (CMS) def. Daniel Fouchier/Sourabh Terakanambi (GAC) 8-3
3. Indraneel Raut/Marco Siviero (GAC) def. Ethan Carroll/Christopher Li (CMS) 8-6

Singles
1. Robert Liu (CMS) def. Indraneel Raut (GAC) 6-2, 6-2
2. Nicholas Aney (GAC) def. Jack Katzman (CMS) 5-7, 6-3,(10-4)
3. Christopher Li (CMS) def. Daniel Fouchier (GAC) 6-3, 6-1
4. Ethan Carroll (CMS) def. Alex Budde (GAC) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1
5. Michael Hao (CMS) def. Marco Siviero (GAC) 6-4, 6-3
6. Ian Habbestad (CMS) def. Rafael Costa (GAC) 6-4, 6-2

Order of completion
Doubles: 2, 1, 3
Singles: 3, 1, 4, 5, 6, 2

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5) vs. Washington University St. Louis (4)
March 18, 2022 at Claremont, CA. (Biszantz Family Tennis Center) Stag-Hen Invitational Semifinals

Doubles
1. Abhi Ramireddy/Daniel Li (WASHU) def. Jack Katzman/Robert Liu (CMS) 8-7(4)
2. Jeremy Ouyang/Scott Yamamoto (WASHU) def. Philip Martin/Matthew Robinson (CMS) 8-5
3. Jared Phillips/Gaurav Singh (WASHU) def. Ethan Carroll/Christopher Li (CMS) 8-2

Singles
1. Robert Liu (CMS) def. Abhi Ramireddy (WASHU) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
2. Philip Martin (CMS) def. Daniel Li (WASHU) 3-6, 6-0, 6-1
3. Matthew Robinson (CMS) def. Luke Smith (WASHU) 4-6, 6-3, 0-0 retired
4. Christopher Li (CMS) def. Gaurav Singh (WASHU) 6-2, 0-6, 6-3
5. Jared Phillips (WASHU) def. Ethan Carroll (CMS) 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4
6. Michael Hao (CMS) def. Lucas Guy (WASHU) 6-1, 6-3

Order of completion
Doubles: 3, 1, 2
Singles: 6, 2, 3, 1, 4, 5

2022 Stag-Hen Tournament Results

Quarterfinals
CMS 7, Gustavus Adolphus 2
Pomona-Pitzer 5, Emory 4
WashU 6, Amherst 3
Trinity 6, Bowdoin 3

Semifinals
CMS 5, WashU 4
Trinity 5, Pomona-Pitzer 4

Consolations
Bowdoin 5, Emory 4
Gustavus Adolphus 5, Amherst 4

Tomorrow's Schedule
Championship - CMS vs. Trinity (at CMS), 10 am
Third-Place - WashU vs. Pomona-Pitzer (at PP), 9:30 am
Fifth-Place - Bowdoin vs. Gustavus Adolphus (at PP), 10:30 am
Seventh-Place - Emory vs. Amherst (at CMS), 10 am