Men’s tennis downs Rochester, 5-4, in UAA 7th-place match

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – The Brandeis University men’s tennis team closed their 2024 season on a high note today, defeating the University of Rochester, 5-4, in the seventh-place match at the University Athletic Association tournament at Sanlando Park in Florida.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 2-15.
• Rochester: 9-7.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• As they have for much of the season, the Judges started out in a 2-0 hole with their five-person roster not enabling them to play at #3 doubles or #6 singles.
• Brandeis got off to a good start by winning both doubles matches as the Judges got early service breaks and made them stand up. First-years Harrison Huai (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) and Huasen Dong (Richmond Hill, Ont./Richmond Green Secondary School) won at #2, 8-5.
• Senior Dylan Walters (Baltimore, Md./Gilman School) and first-year Pierce Garbett (Coral Gables, Fla./Gulliver Prep) gave Brandeis a 2-1 lead with an 8-6 victory at #1. Walters and Garbett went 2-1 during the tournament, with their only loss coming to top-seeded and #2-ranked Chicago.
• In singles action, Walters improved to 2-0 in the tournament with a 6-3, 6-1, win at #1.
• Huai put Brandeis on the brink of victory with a 6-4, 6-3, win at #5.
• Rochester came back to tie the match with a 6-4, 6-4, win at #2 and a 6-3, 6-4, win at #4.
• The decisive match came at #3, where Dong faced one of his doubles opponents, Kavin Shukla. After Dong won the first set, 7-5, Shukla went on a tear late in the second set to win by the same score. The pair were on serve in the first three games, with Dong taking a 2-1 lead. He then picked up a break and went on to win five of the final six games to take the set, 6-2, and clinch victory for the Judges.
• Brandeis had been 0-3 in 5-4 matches this season, including two matches in which they won more of the contested matches but lost because of their limited numbers.

UP NEXT

• The Judges will carry momentum into the 2024-25 season as they return four of their five starters and will bring in five new players.