Men's tennis blows away regional foes

Author: Steve Beslow

Consider the NESCAC officially on notice: Middlebury men's tennis is not going to be any easier to beat this year. After playing up to par with some tough Division I schools in last weekend's Cornell Invitational, the Panthers returned to their own weight class and completely dominated the competition at this year's Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) New England Regional Tournament at Williams College.
In doubles action, partners Salih Unsal '08 and George Mayer '07 had a great run until they were stopped by junior teammates Brian Waldron and Ari Beilin by a score of 8-1 in the semi-final round. Waldron and Beilin would get their come-up-ins in the final, however, where they were ousted by another set of teammates, Nate Edmonds '06 and Kevin Bergesen '07 (who won last years' doubles title with Mayer) 8-4.
Middlebury's control over the doubles bracket pales in comparison to its domination of the singles tournament. In a field of 64 players, six of the eight quarterfinalists were Panthers. First, Edmunds beat Mayer 6-3, 6-3, paving the way to an eventual birth in the finals. On the other side of the bracket, after both steamrolled to the quarters without losing a set, Beilin took down Unsal 6-3, 6-4. Conrad Olson '09 was similarly unscathed before meeting up with Waldron, who defeated him in a tight match, 7-6(5), 7-5. The next match was even more closely contested, with Waldron beating Beilin in three sets, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4.
The score left the Panthers in a situation that has become incredibly familiar this year -- this was the third consecutive weekend in which Co-Captains Waldron and Edmunds met in a tournament final. Also for the third straight week, the two declined to play each other, but this time for a much different reason. At both the Panther Invitational and the Cornell Invitational, Waldron and Edmunds decided not to play due to time constraints. In this case, however, Edmunds, having already won the doubles final with Bergeson, chose to default the singles final to Waldron (who also won the tournament last year) so that all three could represent Middlebury at the ITA National Small College Championships, which will be held later this month at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers.
As the fall season winds down next week at the B.C. Invitational, the Panthers are turning their sights to the spring season as they gear up for yet another run at the National Championship.