NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men's tennis team hosted Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday in a battle between the last two undefeated teams in MIAC play. The Knights came up short, 6-3, in a nail biter that featured four singles matches that required third set super tiebreakers.
 
"Godzilla vs. Kong might be in the theaters, but we had our own version of this battle on the Pat Lamb Courts today," said Carleton head coach Stephan Zweifel, "and Kong is looking forward to a rematch!"
 
Carleton (4-1, 3-1 MIAC) absorbed its first loss of the season in a match that went down to the wire.
 
Gustvuas (12-2, 7-0 MIAC) grabbed a 2-1 lead after doubles following 8-4 victories at the top two slots. The duo of Aswath Viswanathan (So./Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) and Aniketh Vipparla (Fy./Cary, N.C./Green Hope) got the Knights on the board with their 8-6 triumph at the third spot.
 
Singles play was tense from the beginning and more so as the afternoon progressed.
 
Leo Vithoontien (Sr./Bangkok, Thailand/Bangkok Patana School) added to Carleton's total when he notched a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) triumph at the top spot in the lineup. With that result, the three-time All-American improved to 46-2 when playing No. 1 singles during the regular season or MIAC Playoffs. One of those setbacks came against a NCAA Division I opponent in 2019, the other came against Gustavus on April 21, 2018.
 
Gustavus picked up a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 6 singles, but the last four matches went the distance.
 
Yuv Kataria (Fy./Kolkata, India/Weil Academy & College Prep) rallied from a set down and prevailed 3-6, 6-4, 13-11 at No. 4 singles. After dropping the first set, Xander Roti (Jr./Locust Valley, N.Y./Friends Academy) forced his No. 3 singles match to go the distance before falling in a heartbreaker 6-2, 5-7, 16-14.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS
Carleton's scheduled match against Saint John's University on Sunday, April 25 has been postponed due to a forecast calling for cool, wet weather. The Knights are next slated to take the court at Concordia College-Moorhead on Monday, April 26 at 5:30 p.m.
 
BOX SCORE
Singles competition
1. Leo Vithoontien (CAR) def. Nick Aney (GACM) 7-5, 7-6 (7-1)
2. Indraneel Raut (GACM) def. Xander Zuczek (CAR) 3-6, 6-2, 10-7
3. Daniel Fouchier (GACM) def. Xander Roti (CAR) 6-2, 5-7, 16-14
4. Yuv Kataria (CAR) def. Alex Budde (GACM) 3-6, 6-4, 13-11
5. Caleb Fridinger (GACM) def. William Walsh (CAR) 4-6, 6-1, 10-7
6. Jack Bergmeyer (GACM) def. Aniketh Vipparla (CAR) 6-3, 6-3
 
Doubles competition
1. Nick Aney/Alex Budde (GACM) def. Leo Vithoontien/Xander Zuczek (CAR) 8-4
2. Xavier Sanga/Daniel Fouchier (GACM) def. William Walsh/Yuv Kataria (CAR) 8-4
3. Aswath Viswanathan/Aniketh Vipparla (CAR) def. Joseph Punnoose/Caleb Fridinger (GACM) 8-6