On the weekend of Sept. 27–29, men’s tennis came out with, according to senior Vuk Vuksanovic, the strongest start the team has seen in years during their performance in the three-day ITA Northeast Regionals tournament. Six of Tufts’ top tennis players participated in the singles draw, four teams of two participated in the doubles draw and four players participated in the B draw for singles.
Heading into the tournament, Vuksanovic discussed his team’s focus. “You’re just trying to have good days, or have your bad days not be as bad,” he stated. “Consistency is pretty much what determines a good player from a great player.”
Consistency and composure, as practiced, turned out to be the cornerstones to Tufts’ successful run.
Senior Lachie Macintosh particularly showcased veteran experience on day one in his 6–2, 6–1 rout of Gordon College’s Jeff Bodner. As a whole, the Tufts team came out with a commanding performance, with only one loss across all draws on day one. The partnership of Macintosh and first-year Nico Tremblay especially showed their ability to keep their composure, in a tight 8–7 win in their round of 32 match against Babson College.
In addition, junior Javier Gonzalez and first-year Stavros Mastrogamvrakis grabbed a clutch 8–7 win in their contest and carried this momentum over into day two with another 8–7 win in the round of 16. With regard to singles matches, Vuksanovic found a rhythm in his round of 16 match, with a 6–1, 6–1 win over Middlebury College sophomore Nikky Kondamuri.
Vuksanovic remarked that the ITA tournament was “the best I’ve ever felt,” in his time at Tufts.
Moreover, Vuksanovic noted that he “got lucky” that he was able to experience a supportive crowd of students and alumni. In close competitions such as the ITA Regionals, he describes tennis as a mental game. In an exceptionally stressful senior season, as the No. 1 seed heading into the tournament, Vuksanovic maintained that Tufts teammates, alumni and fans kept him and his teammates on track.
With the help of fans, alumni and each other, Tufts men’s tennis manifested superior poise which produced positive results for the team.
For Vuksanovic, his routine and preparation including meditation and mindfulness proved to be monumental to his victory in the ITA singles championship. In a dominant run to the finals, where he only lost one set in the entire tournament, Vuksanovic prevailed in the singles bracket.
In the B singles draw, junior Andrej Djokic brought out an exceptional performance throughout his tournament run, especially in a 6–1, 6–3 semifinal victory against Wesleyan University sophomore Brett Keeling. Djokic fell short in a three set thriller in the finals to Babson freshman Eddie Wang.
Nico Tremblay finishes a backhand during Tufts’ 8-2 doubles win over the Coast Guard Academy on Sept. 27.
On the doubles side, Tufts players held a similar position of dominance, with three of the top four semifinalist teams composed of Jumbos. In a close Tufts vs. Tufts semifinal, Gonzalez and Mastrogamvrakis pulled out a win against Macintosh and Tremblay.
On the other side of the bracket, Vuksanovic and senior Derin Acaroglu began with a strong team performance, winning their first two matches 8–1 and 8–4 against competitors from University of Saint. Joseph and Babson. The duo eventually fell in a well-matched 8–7 loss to their Tufts teammates, juniors Alex Ganchev and Sacha Maes, in the quarterfinals of the doubles draw.
Ganchev and Maes, following their quarterfinal battle, took a decisive home court victory against junior Max Litton and senior Max Lustgarten from Wesleyan, paving the way for a third Tufts vs. Tufts doubles matchup in the final.
The final would be decided by injury default, with Gonzalez and Mastrogamvrakis finding a regional championship for their partnership. Due to the team’s triumph in the ITA Northeast Regionals, the five players from Tufts men’s tennis who participated in singles and doubles finals have advanced to the ITA Cup, a national tournament including competitors from across the country.
Vuksanovic, looking forward to the rest of the season, discussed his high aspirations for the team.
“I know that every single guy on our team can win this thing separately,” Vuksanovic said. He added that this is the best the team has looked in his four years at Tufts and emphasized that his team’s strengths went past those on the tennis court.
“The one main thing is that we keep each other accountable,” he affirmed. In his discussion of team culture, Vuksanovic also gave insight into the team’s preparation process, expressing, “The preparation for the big tournament starts from the first day when we get together as a team, bringing freshmen into the culture, creating the chemistry and then being on the same page with our goals.”
Tufts men’s tennis will head to Georgia from Oct. 10–13 for the ITA Cup, which showcases matches from the best-performing teams in each ITA Regional tournament. This will be their first time competing on a national level this season.
