CMS Men's Tennis Defeats Chapman 5-0 to Advance to SCIAC Finals
CLAREMONT, Calif. - Warren Pham won in both singles and doubles, earning a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 6 singles, and Anirudh Gupta clinched with a 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 4 singles, as the top-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's team, ranked No. 1 in the nation, defeated Chapman 5-0 in the SCIAC Semifinals on Wednesday at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center.
With the win, CMS improves to 24-3 while extending its winning streak to 20 matches, dating back to a loss to defending national champion Case Western on Feb. 25. CMS has also now won 160 straight SCIAC-sponsored matches, 151 in the regular season and all nine SCIAC Postseason Tournament matches it has played in since the league adopted the new format in 2018.
The Stags earned a 3-0 sweep in doubles, with Ian Freer and Matthew Robinson earning an 8-4 win at No. 1 in a battle between two teams in the latest ITA national rankings, with Freer/Robinson at No. 15, and Caleb Wilkins and Ian Jordan at No. 20 for the Panthers.
Pham teamed with Anirudh Reddy for an 8-2 win at No. 3 doubles, while Advik Mareedu and Josh Kim earned an 8-1 win at No. 2.
Pham then got the Stags on the verge of a clinch with a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 6. Several Stags were closing in on the fifth and decisive point, but Gupta was able to finish strong and take a 6-4, 6-0 win to give CMS the 5-0 team victory.
Ian Freer was up 6-3, 5-2 when his match was halted at No. 2 singles, while Tarm Rojanasoonthon led 6-4, 4-1 at No. 5. Mareedu, ranked No. 2 in the nation in singles, was leading a battle with No. 10 Caleb Wilkins 6-2, 4-3, while Robinson had pulled out a tight first set at No. 4 (7-5).
CMS will face Redlands for the SCIAC title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. The teams played to a tight 6-3 decision in the first meeting back on March 9, with Mareedu and Kim each winning three-setters, Robinson taking his match 6-4, 7-6, and Gupta earning a 7-5, 7-5 win. Freer (6-1, 6-0) was the only player for either team to have a dominant effort in that contest.
#1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5) vs. #33 Chapman (0)
May 1, 2024 at Claremont, CA. (Biszantz Family Tennis Center) SCIAC Tournament Semifinal
Doubles
1. Ian Freer/Matthew Robinson (CMS) def. Caleb Wilkins/Ian Jordan (CU) 8-4
2. Josh Kim/Advik Mareedu (CMS) def. Aram Izmirian/Kameron DeHart (CU) 8-1
3. Warren Pham/Anirudh Reddy (CMS) def. Ben Jorgensen/Lachlan Dickinson (CU) 8-2
Singles
1. Advik Mareedu (CMS) vs. Caleb Wilkins (CU) 6-2, 4-3 DNF
2. Ian Freer (CMS) vs. Andy Hess (CU) 6-3, 5-2 DNF
3. Matthew Robinson (CMS) vs. Aram Izmirian (CU) 7-5, 0-1 DNF
4. Anirudh Gupta (CMS) def. Mac Caldwell (CU) 6-4, 6-0
5. Tarm Rojanasoonthon (CMS) vs. Danny Marsh (CU) 6-4, 4-1 DNF
6. Warren Pham (CMS) def. Kameron DeHart (CU) 6-1, 6-0
Order of completion
Doubles: 2, 3, 1
Singles: 6, 4