#1 Men's Tennis Advances to Semifinals with 4-2 Win over #6 Bowdoin

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The top-ranked University of Chicago men's tennis team advanced to the National Semifinals with a 4-2 victory over #6 Bowdoin on Tuesday afternoon.

The Polar Bears came out strong in doubles play with wins at #1 and #2 doubles to take an early 1-0 advantage in the match. In singles play, Bowdoin wasted no time doubling their lead to 2-0 with a dominant win at #3 singles, putting the Maroons on the back foot.

Michael Choi got the Maroons on the board with a 6-0, 6-0 double bagel win at #4 singles, and after a back-and-forth opening set,

** **Christian Liew earned a straight set win 6-4, 6-3 at #6 singles to level the score at two.

At the #2 singles spot,

Emil Grantcharov picked up a massive break of serve at 4-4, but Bowdoin broke back at 4-5, sending the first set to a tiebreak. After the first six points were split 3-3, Grantcharov answered with four straight points to close out the set. In the second set, Grantcharov fell behind 2-0 early, but he finished the match by winning 6 of 7 games with three breaks of serve to give UChicago the 3-2 lead.

Shrikeshav Murugesan played the role of hero for the Maroons at #1 singles as he took down the #3 overall player in NCAA Division III with a straight set win to seal the 4-2 win. Murugesan broke serve at 3-3 in the first set, and he had a chance to serve for the set before Bowdoin leveled the score at five. In the tiebreak, both players traded the first four points before Murugesan won the final five points to take the opening set. In the second set, Murugesan was broken early, but he won six of the final eight games to seal the 7-6, 6-3 win.

With the win, the Maroons improve to 21-3 overall on the season and earn their third appearance in the National Semifinals in program history. UChicago will return to the courts on Wednesday morning at 11 AM for a showdown with #3 Tufts.