CMS Men's Tennis Splits in First Two Dual Matches of 2023-24

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team, ranked No. 5 in Division III, split their opening doubleheader against Division II Point Loma and Westmont on Friday at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center. The Stags dropped a hard fought 5-2 decision against Point Loma, before responding with a 6-1 win over Westmont in the nightcap.

Against Point Loma in the first match, CMS held two match points to earn the doubles point, with the Stags No. 1 pair serving for the set in the deciding match. The singles that followed proved to be an important early season test for the Stags, with five of six singles matches going three sets. Junior Matthew Robinson came back from a set down to record a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 2 while Anirudh Gupta held on for a 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 win at No. 3 for the Stags only wins. Tarm Rojanasoonthon and Amar Kumar, playing Nos. 4 and 6 singles, both had chances to flip the dual match CMS' way, with Rojanasoonthon only three points away from victory with a 4-3 lead in the final tie-break, and Kumar holding match point at 5-3 in the final set.

Against Westmot the doubles point again came down to the final match, this time with Stags No. 3 pair Anirudh Reddy and Daniel Blackman earning a satisfying 7-6(5) win after trailing 4-2 in the decisive tie-break. Sophomores Advik Mareedu and Warren Pham got CMS their first victory as a team, with a 6-2 win at No. 2.

The doubles point would prove to be crucial, as singles were again closely contested on all courts.with three more matches going the full three sets, and a fourth needing a tiebreaker in the second. Mareedu was the one outlier, producing a dominant 6-2 6-2 win at No. 1 to make it 2-0, and Anirudh Gupta was able to come away with a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 3 to put CMS within one point of clinching.  At No. 4 singles, Rojanasoonthon found himself in his second three-set battle of the day, this time prevailing 6-3 in the final set for his first dual match clinch as a Stag. Moments later, Pham came throught with an 8-6 tie-break win in the second set to preserve a straight set win and put CMS up 5-0. Reddy then followed with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 win at No. 6 to give him both a singles and doubles win, before Westmont salvaged the final point by saving four consecutive match points at 4-5, love-forty in the third set at No. 5 singles.

CMS will be back in action on Sunday for its first Division III matches of the year, taking on Lewis & Clark at 10 a.m. and Brandeis at 4 p.m. 

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (2) vs. Point Loma (5)
February 16, 2024 at Claremont, CA. (Biszantz Family Tennis Center)

Doubles
1. Nabeel Khan/Alexander Leischner (PLNU) def. Ian Freer/Matthew Robinson (CMS) 7-5
2. Daniel Blackman/Tarm Rojanasoonthon (CMS) def. David Strassburger/Elias Weeks (PLNU) 6-3
3. Andrew Suver/Lukas Schuster (PLNU) def. Anirudh Gupta/Amar Kumar (CMS) 6-3

Singles
1. Alexander Leischner (PLNU) def. Ian Freer (CMS) 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1
2. Matthew Robinson (CMS) def. David Strassburger (PLNU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
3. Anirudh Gupta (CMS) def. Andrew Suver (PLNU) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
4. Nabeel Khan (PLNU) def. Tarm Rojanasoonthon (CMS) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4)
5. Lukas Schuster (PLNU) def. Daniel Blackman (CMS) 6-3, 7-6 (3)
6. Matt Melosch (PLNU) def. Amar Kumar (CMS) 6-3, 2-6, 7-5

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

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (6) vs. Westmont (1)
February 16, 2024 at Claremont, CA. (Biszantz Family Tennis Center)

Doubles
1. Ethan Ha/Austin Stone (WC) def. Ian Freer/Matthew Robinson (CMS) 6-0
2. Advik Mareedu/Warren Pham (CMS) def. Logan Thompson/Owen Vander Ark (WC) 6-2
3. Daniel Blackman/Anirudh Reddy (CMS) def. Michael Hopkins/Goor Adiv (WC) 7-6(5)

Singles
1. Advik Mareedu (CMS) def. Austin Stone (WC) 6-2, 6-2
2. Warren Pham (CMS) def. Logan Thompson (WC) 6-2, 7-6(6)
3. Anirudh Gupta (CMS) def. Ethan Ha (WC) 6-4, 6-3
4. Tarm Rojanasoonthon (CMS) def. Goor Adiv (WC) 6-0, 1-6, 6-3
5. Owen Vander Ark (WC) def. Daniel Blackman (CMS) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
6. Anirudh Reddy (CMS) def. Preston Hastings (WC) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2

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