Stevens’ Men’s Tennis team had a busy weekend, playing three competitive schools: University of Rochester, Lebanon Valley College, and Johns Hopkins University. This season, the Ducks are delivering a commanding performance, with a strong team consisting of many returning players.
On Friday, April 11, Stevens took down the University of Rochester 5-2 at the Edgewater Tennis Center. In doubles, Stevens won two of their three matches, with fourth-years Olof Persson and Vivek Harinarayan securing a smooth 6-4 win at the top court and first-year Aidan Miller and second-year Samvid Andhare earning a decisive 6-3 victory on the second court.
The men’s team carried their performance into the singles matches with Harinarayan and Andhare receiving hard-earned wins over the opposing players. Miller pulled through a third win in straight sets. First-year Mihir Parcha dropped a tight match in the fourth seed, but Stevens was able to recover with strong finishes from first-year Dhaivik Chenemilla, who went 6-1, 6-0, and Persson who closed out with a 6-3, 6-3 win.
On Saturday, April 12, the Ducks traveled to Annville, PA where they continued their stellar performance to win all of their matches against Lebanon Valley College. The men set the tone early by winning all three doubles matches. Miller and Andhare earned a 6-3 victory in the top spot, followed by an impressive show of skill from fourth-year Matt Luzzi and second-year Tristan Wroe, who claimed a decisive 6-0 victory. Chenemilla and Parcha walked away with another 6-0 victories against their opponents.
In singles, all six players won in straight sets. At number one, Miller turned in yet another strong performance. At number two, first-year Noah Pe brought an impressive game, taking down Jake Erb 6-2, 6-1. Chenemilla, Persson, and second-year Johnny Haase each secured smooth wins over their opponents as well.
On Sunday, April 13, the men’s team travelled to Baltimore to continue their run, but were bested by the 19th seed, Johns Hopkins University. The Blue Jays took all three doubles matches, securing an early lead. The Ducks’ number two pairing, Miller and Andhare, held up strong but eventually fell 6-3.
In singles, Miller earned Stevens’ only victory of the day at the third seat. After dropping his first set, Miller pushed through a second-set tiebreaker and came out on top in the 10-point tiebreaker. Andhare and Pe both endured tiebreakers as well, but were ultimately bested by their opponents.
The men’s tennis team will continue their season on Wednesday, April 16, when they host New York University at the Bayonne Tennis Courts.
