Men's tennis finishes 2nd at UAA tournament with 5-1 loss to Emory

Brandeis men's tennis team, 2019 UAA Tournament finalists
Brandeis men's tennis team, 2019 UAA Tournament finalists

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – The Brandeis University men's tennis team reached the finals of the 2019 University Athletic Association tournament, but the fourth-seeded Judges couldn't pull a second-straight upset, as they dropped the championship match to second-seeded Emory, 5-1, today at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida, finishing second place.

For the first time in the tournament, the Judges fell behind after doubles. Emory won the first two doubles matches to finish, with Hayden Cassone and Antonio Mora defeating Brandeis senior Tyler Ng (Great Neck, N.Y./Great Neck South) and rookie Colt Tegtmeier (Madison, Wisc./James Madison Memorial), 8-2, at #3, followed by Jonathan Jemison and Adrien Bouchet topping the Judges' David Aizenberg (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park) and Anupreeth Coramutla (Monroe Township, N.J./Phillips Andover), 8-3, at #1.

Brandeis got on the board at #2, where rookie Adam Tzeng (Eagle, Idaho/Eagle) and sophomore Rajan Vohra (Glen Head, N.Y./North Shore) held off a charge from James Spaulding and Will Wanner, 8-6.

In singles action, the Eagles won the first three matches to finish to clinch the win. Cassone defeated Coramutla, 6-3, 6-2, to open the singles scoring at #2, with Bouchet besting Tzeng, 6-1, 6-3, at #3 to put Emory on the brink. Andrew Esses finished of Vohra, 6-2, 6-2, at #5 to clinch victory.

Brandeis owned the lead in one unfinished match, as semifinal clincher Aizenberg was up, 6-1, 3-2, on Jemison at #1.

The Judges came into the match ranked 10th in Division III and close their regular season with a 16-4 record, tied for the second-most wins in program history. Emory, ranked third in Division III, moves to 17-2.

Brandeis's second-place finish at the UAA Championships is the second-best in program history, surpassed only by the 1989 team's title. This year's Judges hope to match the '89 squad as an NCAA tournament team. Only the 1983-84 squad won more matches in program history, going 17-3. The '84-'85 team also posted 16 wins, going 16-6.