ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – The Brandeis University men's tennis team pulled off a terrific upset this afternoon in the fifth-place match at the 2017 University Athletic Association championships, as the seventh-seeded Judges, ranked 34th in Division III by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, defeated fifth-seeded and 12-ranked Case Western Reserve, 5-4.
With the win, the Judges finish fifth in the UAA for their highest finish since 2010. They also win their 12th dual match of the season, tying the 2006-07 squad for highest win total in head coach Ben Lamanna's tenure.
The Judges got off to a terrific start by sweeping doubles for the second match in a row and the third time in four matches. Seniors Michael Arguello (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood) and Ryan Bunis (Cincinnati, Ohio/Groton-Dunstable, Mass.) kicked things off with an 8-6 win at No. 1, defeating Case's John DeBenedetto and Fred Daum, 8-6. Sophomore Tyler Ng (Great Neck, N.Y./Great Neck South) and rookie David Aizenberg (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park) topped the Spartans' James Fojtasek and Phillip Gruber, 8-3, at No. 2. Senior Brian Granoff (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) and sophomore Jackson Kogan (Palisades Park, Calif./Windward School) completed the sweep at No. 3, 8-5, defeating Anthony Kanam and David Zakhodan.
In singles action, Brandeis wasted no time in clinching victory, winning the first two matches to wrap up. Granoff completed an unbeaten UAA run at No. 2 with a 6-2, 6-2, win over Siddharth Rajupet. Granoff lost just eight games in his three matches in Florida. Ng clinched the victory at No. 4, 6-0, 6-3, defeating Kevin Dong to finish 2-1 in singles in Florida.
Case went on to win the final four singles matches, taking Nos. 3 and 6 in straight sets. Fojtasek edged Bunis at No. 1 after the Judge won the first set, 3-6, 6-3, 10-6. At No. 5, rookie Mitchell Ostrovsky (Brooklyn, N.Y./Leon M. Goldstein) rallied to force a third against Josh Dughi before falling, 6-2, 5-7, 10-4.
The Judges will have a chance to surpass the '06-'07 team as Lamanna's winningest men's squad when they take on 20th-ranked Tufts on Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.