NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The No. 41-ranked Carleton College men's tennis team absorbed a 7-2 loss to No. 30 Gustavus Adolphus College. The two teams entered the day as the only squads still undefeated in MIAC action, and they have finished 1-2 in the conference standings for each of the last 21 completed seasons.
 
Gustavus (15-11, 7-0 MIAC) jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to strong doubles play. The Gusties' national-ranked tandem of Gage Gohl and Tyler Haddorff prevailed 8-1 atop the lineup before their teammates added an 8-5 triumph at the second slot and an 8-4 victory at the third slot.
 
"We matched up well in the singles lineup" said Carleton head coach Stephan Zweifel. "The goosebumps our spectators were experiencing had nothing to do with the chilly weather but rather the inspired play."
 
Aiden Patel notched the first team point for Carleton (14-3, 6-1 MIAC) when he won 6-3, 7-5 at the No. 3 singles.
 
Three of the six singles matches required a super tiebreakers.
 
Ezra Bernhard had the other win for the Knights as he rallied from down a set to capture a 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 1-0 (10-6) for his 10th triumph of the season. Jasper Yang sent his No. 2 singles match the distance before falling 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6) to nationally-ranked Marco Siviero. Akshay Garapati came up short at No. 4 singles by a nearly identical score, losing to Dominik Knutson 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6).
 
Elsewhere in singles, Baiyun Jing lost to Gohl, who is ranked No. 11 in the nation for singles, by a 6-2, 7-5 tally at the top spot in the lineup, while Tyler Haddorff edged Zach Leslie 6-3, 6-2 at No. 5 singles.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton, which has already secured a spot in the MIAC Playoffs semifinals, will wrap up the regular season with two matches next weekend. The Knights visit Hamline University for a 2:00 p.m. match on Saturday, April 26 before hosting Saint John's University at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 27.