PASADENA, Calif. – The Caltech men's tennis team returned to action Monday evening in a hard-fought contest against Kenyon College, the first of eight scheduled home matches this month.

The Beavers quickly claimed the first match point of the day in #2 Doubles, as seniors Kyle McCandless (Lexington, Mass. Lexington) and Daniel Wen (McLean, Va. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology) defended their national No. 20 doubles ranking in a commanding 8-3 win.

The visiting Owls claimed the remaining two doubles points for a 2-1 lead heading into singles, but Caltech rookie Eric He (Martinsville, N.J. Bridgewater Raritan) quickly equalized with a near-flawless 6-0, 6-1 win in #6 Singles. He remains undefeated in singles through four matches.

Kenyon took another match on Court 5, but then Caltech first-year Constantin Cedillo-Vayson de Pradenne (Paris Lycée Jean de La Fontaine) wrapped up #4 Singles with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory, knotting the overall match at three wins for each school.

Unfortunately the guests clinched the team win with another pair of singles match points, leaving all eyes on Court 2, where sophomore Andrew Zabelo (Florham Park, N.J. Newark Academy) was locked in a tight battle after winning his first set in tiebreak fashion, 7-6 (7-4). Zabelo's opponent rallied to steal set 2 by a 7-5 score and forcing a 10-point tiebreak. Zabelo came out strong, taking five of the first six points, ultimately prevailing 10-7 for the Beavers' fourth and final match point.

Head Coach Adam Clark and the Beavers are slated to return to the Caltech Tennis Courts on Wednesday, Mar. 6 at 3 p.m. against national No.34 Vassar College. Follow the team on Instagram and at twitter.com/caltechmten.