Men's tennis ends season with strong showing

After a few lackluster years, the Jumbos have shown immense improvement in both their play and their results this fall under the tutelage of interim head coach Karl Gregor. The Jumbos' positive showing continued this weekend as they hosted the Boston Invitational tournament.

On the Voute courts this past Saturday, the Jumbos played individually against NESCAC rival Middlebury and local rival Boston University (BU). Like most invitational tournaments, the event was split into A and B flights with singles and doubles components. Playing in the A flight for Tufts were some of the squad’s most notable players, but it was the younger players who prevailed in the early stages of the tournament.

First-year Zain Ali and sophomore Ben Battle were the only two Jumbos to come out victorious in the A flight’s first round. Ali, playing Peter Heidrich from Middlebury, won when his opponent retired from the match. Ali was up 5-1 in the opening set when Heidrich could no longer continue to play.

Battle, who had shown glimpses of promise in his rookie season, played Mario Sandoval from BU. This fall season, Battle has been particularly effective in the team’s victories, and shut out his opponent in his first set this weekend. Although Sandoval put up more resistance in the second set, it proved futile as Battle closed out the match with a 6-0, 6-3 win. Boston University is a Div. I school, making Battle’s win that much more impressive.

“It feels good to represent Tufts with a win over a Div. 1 player," Battle said. "Hosting BU was a unique opportunity for our team. I’m happy that I was able to capitalize on it and show BU that our Div. III tag doesn’t mean we can’t compete with them.”

In doubles, junior Nick Cary and first-year Rohan Gupte finished runner-up in the B flight, despite having never played together before.

“This was my first time playing doubles with Rohan, and I think one of the reasons we did well is because our games complement each other a little bit," Cary said. "He has a great serve, and I like my return game. We were constantly putting pressure on our opponents, and I think that might explain why we played well."

This season Gregor has put a stronger emphasis on fitness, in hopes of ensuring that players are able to grind out the long days of competition that invitational tournaments often require.

"The workouts he put us through on the court and on the track put our team in the best shape we’ve ever been in," Battle said. "Since the format of the fall tournaments has us playing, at times, five matches in one day, being strong enough to play well for consecutive matches is essential for a team’s success.”

This was the first invitational tournament that Tufts tennis has hosted in recent years, and Battle said it should help the team gain respect from its competitors. 

“We are very happy that a Div. I team came to compete against us," Battle said. "We are equally content that Middlebury made the journey to Boston just to play against us and BU. This past weekend shows that Tufts' men's tennis has the respect of other teams, which is unquestionably a good sign.”

Looking forward to the spring season, the Jumbos hope to maintain their success as rookies like Ali continue to improve and veteran Jay Glickman returns from studying abroad. Though they will spend less time on the court, Gregor’s emphasis on fitness will continue through the winter and into the spring.

“Our practices and training methods this past fall produced results," Battle said. "Our captains, Rob [Jacobson] and Brian [Tan] intend to continue similar routines during our captain’s practices this off-season ... Watch out for us in the gym.”

It’s been clear that this season has seen the Jumbos perform at a much higher level and produce noteworthy results.

“The team’s improved results this season are a direct result of coach Gregor’s influence on the team,” junior co-captain Rob Jacobson said. “The team has a firm belief that coach Gregor is the best coach in all of Div. III, and it has been an honor to play for him this fall. I’m really excited to see coach Gregor take us to the next level this spring.”