Men's tennis slams through home tourney

Author: Zamir Ahmed

After a disappointing loss in the NCAA Championship game to end last season, the Middlebury men's tennis team wasted no time in getting back on track. The Panthers kicked off their fall campaign in style with a great showing in front of a home crowd at last weekend's Middlebury Invitational. The tournament featured stronger talent this year than in recent memory as Trinity showed up and put up quite a fight. The Panthers still managed to dominate as seven players made it to the semifinals of the four singles flights, while four of the team's doubles pairs made it to the semifinals in the two doubles flights.

In A Flight Singles co-captains Nate Edmunds '06 and Brian Waldron '06 will square off in the finals to be completed either later this week or early next week, with both players playing their best tennis ever. "I think they came into this season more focused," said George Mayer '07. "They both seemed to realize this summer that this is their last year to win it all and they are looking in really good shape and playing well."

The finals of the B Flight Singles will also be an all-Middlebury affair, as first-year Conrad Olson goes up against Kevin Bergesen '07, who beat teammate Salih Unsal '08 in a nail-biting semifinal match 6-4, 5-7, (10-7). Filip Marinkovic '08 won the C Flight title, beating David Yahng of Trinity 3-6, 6-1, (14-12) in the only completed singles final of the tournament.

On the doubles side Edmunds and Waldron will again be battling each other, this time in the A Flight of doubles. Edmunds will team up with Bergesen to take on Waldron and co-captain Ari Beilin '06 in a match to be played later this week. In the other doubles flight, George Mayer '07 and Matt Rales '06 made it all the way to the finals before falling to the Trinity team of Yahng and Jon Hart 8-3.

"We really came out with all guns firing," said Marinkovic. "We played with a lot of emotion and if we can continue this intensity into the spring season, we should be in for another great year."

Middlebury's great start bodes well for a team that has to be considered one of the favorites to win the Division III championship. With a great incoming player in Conrad, most of last year's team returning and a strong group of veterans providing leadership, the Panthers expect nothing less than national glory.

The Panthers next test will come this weekend at the Cornell Invitational from Sept. 23-25, where the team will try to use the strong competition as a learning experience for the year. "It's not often that a Division III school competes with a Division I school," said Marinkovic. "This tournament is a great chance for us to really find out our strengths and weakness and to improve on them."