WALTHAM, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's tennis team visited Brandeis University on Wednesday for a non-conference duel at the Judges' Cordish Tennis Center, falling by a 6-1 margin. The Warriors battled a Brandeis program that finished last season as the seventh-ranked team nationally in Division III.
On the heels of his second Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Week honor of the season, freshman
Aryaan Bhatia was the highlight of the day for Merrimack. He paired with junior
Jonathan Garcia for a win a second doubles, and then won a three-set match at No. 2 singles.
The Basics
Score: Brandeis 6,
Merrimack 1
Records: Merrimack (3-6) | Brandeis (1-0)
Location: Waltham, Mass. | Cordish Tennis Center
Rapid Recap
- Brandeis won two of the three doubles flights. The third rung finished first, where the Judges picked up a 6-1 win. The hosts were also victorious at No. 2, 6-2. Merrimack's top pairing prevailed, however, as the duo of Bhatia and Garcia recorded a 6-4 triumph over Brandeis' top option. The pairing improved to 2-0 together in 2021
- In singles, the hosts won straight-set matches at No. 5 and No. 6 to grab a 3-0 lead in the match. Garcia won his second set, 6-3, to recover from an opening-set loss at the third flight, but Brandeis' No. 3 option won the final set to clinch the match
- The remaining three singles matches all went the distance as well. Freshman Jan Semerak battled tremendously at No. 1 to force a third set. The first-year Warrior won his second set via an 11-9 tiebreak to collect a 7-6 victory in the frame, but ultimately lost in three sets
- Bhatia's match finished next. The Mumbai, India native lost his first set at second singles, 6-3, only to post consecutive set wins of 6-4 and 6-2 to win the flight. Junior Andre Singer rounded out the action at No. 4, where his 6-4 win in the second set forced a third and final frame. His opposition emerged with a 6-4 win of his own, however, in the day's final set to end the match
Up Next
The Warriors return to NEC play this weekend when Merrimack plays St. Francis Brooklyn at 1 p.m. at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
