As they are about to take on the UAAs in the quarterfinals, the Maroons are feeling strong and ready for redemption this coming weekend.
Over this past weekend, the University of Chicago men’s tennis team competed in the quarterfinals of the UAAs against Wash U. With difficult weather and tough competition on both sides, the Maroons showed real teamwork and unity as they suffered a close loss to a very strong Wash U team.
After last weekend’s matches, the Wash U Bears were able to move their record to 13–3 while the Maroons dropped to 15–3.
This puts the Maroons in a ranking of fifth place and the Bears in sixth place.
“Every time these two teams get together it's a battle and today was no different,” head coach Jay Tee said. “We traded blows for almost six hours but couldn't get the last point we needed. We competed so hard and showed some real grit to stay in the matches and to fight back when we were down. Now we need to work on closing when we are ahead in games, sets and matches. I feel great about where we are heading into UAAs and we hope to get another shot at them with something on the line.”
The UAA championship will take place this weekend, from Friday, April 21 to Sunday, April 23, in Altamonte Springs, FL.
The men are looking to get revenge, especially against Wash U after their close loss to them this past weekend. After finishing fourth last year, the Maroons are setting their sights on top three.
Things are looking hopeful as they are going into the weekend ranking as the number three seed. Although 1–2 against UAA opponents this season, the UChicago men are feeling confident in their capabilities.
The first match of the tournament begins against the number six seed NYU, which is currently 9–2 on the season.
When asked about this upcoming weekend, third-year David Liu said, “We're really excited for a great weekend in Florida. We had a lot of ups and downs this season and it'll be nice to put those behind us and focus on one match at a time from here on out. We've never played NYU before and they'll be a tough first round, but it'll help us get used to the heat and humidity of playing in Florida. Personally, I'm excited to get back out there with the team after being injured since National Indoors in February.”
Another third-year, Nick Chua, said, “We’re pretty excited for this weekend because we've been training all year for these last two tournaments. Everything that's happened so far has been a learning experience and we hope that everything we've been working on will start to come together. This program has never won UAAs or NCAAs before and we're looking to change both those things this year. Obviously, it won't be easy, but at the very least we hope to set the tone for NCAAs this weekend.”
