LEXINGTON, Va. – For a third consecutive match, the No. 27 Washington and Lee men's tennis team topped a ranked opponent, as they dispatched No. 14 Johns Hopkins, 4-3, on Friday to kick-off the Duchossois Tennis Invitational.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (6-0) not only claimed the doubles point, but they won all three doubles matches for good measure. Seniors
Evan Erb and
Will Kistler were 6-2 victors at No. 1, followed by senior
James Kurani and first-year
Ryan Good (6-3) at No. 2. Senior
Eli Hirshberg and sophomore
Heys Parker rounded out doubles play with a 6-4 win at No. 3.
Erb and Kurani picked up wins at Nos. 1 and 2 singles, respectively, while the Blue Jays (1-1) got on the board with wins from Hanyu Liu at No. 3 and Dylan Blenkiron at No. 4. Those four matches all ended in straight sets, as Erb won by a 6-2, 7-6 (4) score and 6-4, 6-4 for Kurani.
With singles matches 5 and 6 left to determine the winning team, Parker clinched the win for the Blue and White at No. 5 with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Jason Li. Mukundh Boopathi recovered at No. 6 after dropping the first set against W&L sophomore
Sanjheev Rao for a 6-4 second-set win and a 1-0 (7) third-set, 10-point tiebreak score.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Erb continued his early-season success as his win over Chakor Rajendra pushed his singles record to 8-4 this season and 5-1 at No. 1 in dual-match play. Additionally, Rajendra was ranked ninth in Division III and fourth in the region, as Erb picked up a strong ranked win.
Kurani's win was also against a regionally-ranked opponent, with Daniel Ardila currently sitting at No. 19 in singles in the Atlantic South Region.
The Generals are now 6-0 in dual match play this season, with each of their last three wins coming via 4-3 scores over ranked teams. The previous two victories were over No. 29 Christopher Newport and No.15 Sewanee last weekend, with three 7-0 wins in conference play already this season.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will have Saturday off before they return to host top-ranked Chicago on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. in the Duchossois Tennis Invitational finale.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
