Drexel falls in men’s CAA quarterfinals | The Triangle

Drexel falls in men’s CAA quarterfinals

The Drexel University men’s tennis team traveled to Elon, NC for the CAA playoffs, but fell 4-3 to the College of William & Mary (Photograph courtesy of Greg Carroccio/Sideline Photos).

The Drexel University men’s tennis team has completed its 2019 season following their trip to Elon, North Carolina for the Colonial Athletic Association tennis championships. The Dragons began their run in the quarterfinals, coming in as the sixth-seeded squad among all competing teams. Elon University hosted the tournament.

Drexel’s first and only opponents were the College of William and Mary, who held the number three seed. As they have consistently done over the course of their season, the Dragons secured the doubles points after securing two doubles courts in a row. Drexel struggled in the singles stages of the day, losing four of the six singles matchups to ultimately fall 4-3 to the Tribe by the narrowest of margins.

The first doubles position was occupied by freshman Gustav Wogen and senior Sinan Orhon. The outgoing upperclassman, and arguably most successful player in Drexel’s history, left his final doubles match unfinished at 6-6, as the Dragons had already won doubles on aggregate.

Sophomores Xandy Hammitt and Sanil Jagtiani continued their fruitful partnership as a doubles duo on the second doubles court. The pair was the first to finish for Drexel, quickly claiming the 6-3 win. Junior Youssef Lahlou and freshman Juan Manuel Sanchez followed suit, though their match proved to be much closer. The two Dragons outlasted their opposition 7-6, pushing past the Tribesmen by the skin of their teeth.

Moving on to singles, Hammitt gave Drexel hope for an easy run to the tournament semifinals. Hammitt finished first among Drexel players with a three-set victory, outplaying William & Mary freshman Daniel Pellerito 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. The early win did not kick off the streak of games gone in favor of Drexel that the Dragons were hoping for. Wogen was the next finisher for Drexel at fifth singles. The freshman started off well in his first set, barely giving it away 7-6 to Tribe sophomore Chen Ruo. Wogen dropped the second 6-4 to hand the Dragons their first lost match of the day.  

The last match in Drexel’s favor was Jagtiani’s three-set battle against William & Mary junior Brenden Volk. Jagtiani took the first set 6-3, lost the second 4-6 and came back to break the deadlock with a 6-4 winning set. After the sophomore echoed his wins at doubles, the remaining Dragons went on to lose each of their individual matches. Lahlou and Orhon were the only players to claim sets, with both Dragons clinching the second set of their three-set games. Neither player achieved their comeback.

Drexel ends their season record slightly above the .500 mark, reaching 11 wins and 10 losses. The CAA quarterfinals saw the final game  of Orhon, who holds Drexel’s record of most wins in the history of the tennis program at singles and doubles. Orhon owns 71 individual match victories and 81 while sharing the court at doubles. His exit will leave a profound impact on the squad going forward.