CMS Men's Tennis Outlasts Trinity for Stag-Hen Championship
CLAREMONT, Calif. - A day after rallying from a 3-0 deficit for a 5-4 win over WashU in the semifinals, the fourth-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team battled through another marathon match to defeat eighth-ranked Trinity (Texas) 7-2 in the championship of the Stag-Hen Invitational on Saturday afternoon at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center. The Stags defended their 2019 title, with 2020 and 2021 tournaments having been canceled due to the COVID pandemic. This year's title was CMS' ninth in the tournament's thirteen year history.
With the win, CMS moves to 12-2 on the year, after defeating No. 15 Gustavus Adolphus 7-2, No. 3 WashU 5-4 and No. 8 Trinity 7-2 at its host tournament. The Stag-Hen Invitational was incredibly competitive throughout, beginning on opening day as the team seeded first (Emory) lost to the eighth seed (Pomona-Pitzer) 5-4, and all four second-round matches were decided by 5-4 scores (Trinity over Pomona-Pitzer, Bowdoin over Emory, Gustavus Adolphus over Amherst).
The championship final ended 7-2, but it was realistically just as close as the 5-4 matches were, as two of the three doubles matches went to tiebreakers, and three of the six singles matches went to three sets. Five of the six singles matches also had at least one set that was tied 5-5, including three that went into tiebreakers.
CMS took a 2-1 lead into singles after Philip Martin and Matthew Robinson came back from a break of serve down twice to win 8-7(5) at No. 2 to give the Stags a 2-0 lead. Ethan Carroll and Christopher Li started things with an 8-3 win at No. 2, and CMS nearly had a doubles sweep, but Christian Settles and Hao Nguyen rallied from two breaks down and saved a match point to win 8-7(6) at the No. 1 position.
Robinson earned the quickest straight-set win in singles at No. 4 against Settles (6-3, 6-4), to put CMS ahead 3-1. Robert Liu then earned the fourth point for CMS for the second day in a row at No. 1 (a day ago he broke a 3-3 tie against WashU with a three-set win), as he prevailed 6-3, 7-6 after an epic tiebreaker in the second set with Cameron Krimball that was finally decided at 11-9. Liu saved five set points, while Krimball fought off two match points in a dramatic tie-break that ultimately swung the dual match momentum to CMS, when Liu earned the victory. For Liu, it was his eighteenth win in twenty matches spanning the fall and spring seasons.
The deciding match was also won in a tiebreaker, as Martin came back from a set down for the second day in a row at No. 3, winning 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3 in the tiebreaker) to cue the clinching celebration. CMS added the final two wins as Li came back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 at No. 5, and Carroll capped off the day with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win at No. 6. CMS is now 11-2 on the season in three-set matches.
The matches played on the No. 1 line were also key for the West Region rankings, as Liu and Krimbill came in ranked 1-2 in the region in singles, while Settles/Hao and Katzman/Liu were in the 1-2 spot in doubles.
CMS will be back in action for another busy weekend at Biszantz next Friday and Saturday, hosting Middlebury on Friday, and Williams and George Fox on Saturday.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (7) vs. Trinity University (2)
March 18, 2022 at Claremont, CA. (Biszantz Family Tennis Center) Stag-Hen Invitational Championship Match
Doubles
1. Christian Settles/Hao Nguyen (TU) def. Jack Katzman/Robert Liu (CMS) 8-7(6)
2. Philip Martin/Matthew Robinson (CMS) def. Wilson Hamilton/Cameron Goldstein (TU) 8-7(5)
3. Ethan Carroll/Christopher Li (CMS) def. Robert Chang/Dalton Locke (TU) 8-3
Singles
1. Robert Liu (CMS) def. Cameron Krimbill (TU) 6-3, 7-6(9)
2. Hao Nguyen (TU) def. Jack Katzman (CMS) 7-6(4), 6-3
3. Philip Martin (CMS) def. Alessio Azzalini (TU) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3)
4. Matthew Robinson (CMS) def. #40 Christian Settles (TU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Christopher Li (CMS) def. Wilson Hamilton (TU) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
6. Ethan Carroll (CMS) def. Eric Liao (TU) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
Order of completion
Doubles: 3, 2, 1
Singles: 4, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
2022 Stag-Hen Tournament Results
Championship Match
CMS 7, Trinity 2
Third Place
WashU 5, Pomona-Pitzer 1
Fifth Place
Bowdoin 6, Gustavus Adolphus 3
Seventh Place
Emory 8, Amherst 1
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
Consolation Semifinals
Bowdoin 5, Emory 4
Gustavus Adolphus 5, Amherst 4