PASADENA, Calif. (Mar. 22, 2022) - The No. 22 men's tennis team continued their two-week marathon of competing against the top-ranked programs in the nation, taking on the No. 15 Golden Gusties of Gustavos Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minn.) on Tuesday morning.  Propelled by two wins out of three doubles matches, the Beavers emerged victorious 5-4, a day ahead of the next issued ITA rankings, as the two sides split the singles matches during a summer-like day on the Caltech campus. 

 

"Two incredibly busy weeks with tight, high level matches has been our experience," Head Coach Jason Cohen said.  "We worked really hard on getting a great start from our doubles teams, and that paid huge dividends.  I don't think it's overstating it to say that Kyle and Daniel's comeback and win in the morning, provided the necessary point but also the spark that allowed us to take today's match."

 

Securing a win in the first contest of the day may seem like a hyperbole, but there is much to be said about Coach Cohen placing a high level of importance on the match.  At first doubles, sophomore duo Kyle McCandless (Lexington, Mass. / Lexington) and Daniel Wen (McLean, Va. / Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology) would fend off two match points against their opponents to win the match 8-7, 7-3 in a tiebreaker set.  Junior duo Rishi Gundakaram (Wyoming, Del. / Caesar Rodney ) and John Kim (Cupertino, Calif. / Menlo School) continued to be an anchor for the Beavers with their 8-5 victory at third doubles.  Heading into the singles portion of the match, sophomore Ishann Kannan (Scarsdale, N.Y./ Horace Mann) produced a 7-5, 6-1 victory on court 1.  After their gritty doubles victory, McCandless defeated his singles opponent 6-2, 6-3 on court 2, while Wen secured a 6-4, 6-1 win on court five. 

 

Coach Cohen and the Beavers are back in action on Wednesday, March 23, at 10:00 am when they host the No. 12 Tufts University Jumbos.  Visit www.GoCaltech.com to follow all the action through both livestream and live stats.