ST. PETER, Minn. – Eight members of the Carleton College men's tennis program took part in the ITA Midwest Regional Championships.
 
(see full match-by-match scores below)
 
Leading the charge was the pairing of Jack Rivkin and Akshay Garapati, who advanced to the finals of the main doubles draw. The Knights' top tandem won five matches, including three over seeded opponents, before falling in the finals to 2024 NCAA champions Gage Gohl and Tyler Haddorff of Gustavus Adolphus College.
 
In the championship match, the Gustie duo won the opening set 6-0, but Rivkin and Garapati responded by claiming the second set 6-4. The super tiebreaker saw Gohl/Haddorff pull out a narrow 1-0 (10-7) victory.
 
Garapati's weekend of fine tennis also included a trip to the semifinals of the main singles draw. The Carleton sophomore prevailed four times, including wins over three seeded foes, before falling to Gohl.
 
Ezra Bernhard, Baiyun Jing, Zach Leslie, and Rivkin were also in the main singles draw. Bernhard and Rivkin both dropped their first-round matches, while Jing and Leslie had opening-round byes. Jing withdrew from his second-round contest, while Leslie dropped a hard-fought battle with Hayden Latus of Concordia Wisconsin by a 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6) tally.
 
Jing and Leslie withdrew from their first-round doubles match.
 
Owen Heidtke, Miles Lee, and Yihe Zhang played in the "B" singles draw. Heidtke and Zhang both won their first-round matches in super tiebreakers before each dropped their second-round clashes in super tiebreakers. Lee lost his opening round match.
 
Bernhard and Heidtke won their opening contest in the "B" doubles draw before being edged 8-6 in the second round. Zhang and Lee came up short in the first round of doubles.
 
ITA Midwest Regional — Singles Draw
 
First Round
Murilo Prestes Zeni (Concordia Wisconsin) def. Ezra Bernhard (Carleton) — 6-4, 6-2
Alexander Doane (Grinnell) def. Jack Rivkin (Carleton) — 6-3, 6-1
#5 Baiyun Jing — Bye
#9 Akshay Garapati — Bye
#17 Zach Leslie — Bye
 
Second Round
Mateo Torre (St. Scholastica) def. #5 Baiyun Jing — withdrew
#9 Akshay Garapati def. Owen Skanse (Gustavus) — 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-5)
Hayden Latus (Concordia Wisconsin) def. #17 Zach Leslie — 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6)
 
Third Round
#9 Akshay Garapati def. #17 Andrew Dumbauld (UW-Whitewater) — 6-1, 6-4
 
Fourth Round
#9 Akshay Garapati def. #4 Francisco Silveira (Carthage) — 6-3, 6-2
 
Quarterfinals
#9 Akshay Garapati def. #5 Lucas Willett (Grinnell) — 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 (11-9)
 
Semifinals
#1 Gage Gohl (Gustavus) def. #9 Akshay Garapati — 6-2, 6-2
 
ITA Midwest Regional — Doubles Draw
 
First Round
#3 Jack Rivkin/Akshay Garapati (Carleton) def. Quinn Monson/Joe Li (Gustavus) — 8-3
Gage Becker/Jaimes Palmer (Loras) def. #9 Baiyun Jing/Zach Leslie (Carleton) — withdrew
 
Second Round
#3 Jack Rivkin/Akshay Garapati (Carleton) def. Pablo Rincon/Ethan Leeser (UW-Eau Claire) — 8-6
 
Thrid Round
#3 Jack Rivkin/Akshay Garapati (Carleton) def.#9 Diego Silva/Finn Morris (Carthage) — 8-6
 
Quarterfinals
#3 Jack Rivkin/Akshay Garapati (Carleton) def. #5 Dome Knutson/Takura Mhwandagara (Gustavus) — 8-5
 
Semifinals
#3 Jack Rivkin/Akshay Garapati (Carleton) def. #5 Bryton Short/Jumpei Kasai (Coe) — 8-7
 
Finals
#1 Gage Gohl/Tyler Haddorff (Gustavus) def. #3 Jack Rivkin/Akshay Garapati (Carleton) — 6-0, 4-6. 1-0 (10-7)
 
"B" Singles Draw
 
First Round
Yihe Zhang (Carleton) def. Luke Doig (Coe) — 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8)
Levi Santos (MSOE) def. Miles Lee (Carleton) — 6-3, 6-2
Owen Heidtke (Carleton) def Michael Li (Macalester) — 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 (14-12)
 
Second Round
Miles Whelan (Carthage) def. Yihe Zhang (Carleton) — 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-5)
Ethan Foucheaux (Carthage) def. Owen Heidtke (Carleton) — 6-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-7)
 
 "B" Doubles Draw
 
First Round
Ezra Bernhard/Owen Heidtke (Carleton) def. Milan Lecic/John Gustafson (Wartburg) — 8-3
Hayden Martin/Dali Martens (Loras) def. Yihe Zhang/Miles Lee (Carleton) — 8-5
 
Second Round
Karl Kimber/Ethan Ellor (Gustavus) def. Ezra Bernhard/Owen Heidtke (Carleton) — 8-6