HAVERFORD, Pa. – The No. 17 TCNJ men's tennis team emerged unscathed from a bevy of tight matches on Saturday, holding its nerve to corral a 7-2 win over No. 46 Haverford in a top-50 tilt that was far closer than the final score line indicated.
 
The Lions, ranked in the top-20 of Division III for the first time in 15 years, kept their perfect spring alive, but not without plenty of close calls. Four of the six singles flights went to a decisive third set, and the number one doubles flight saw the Fords take a 6-4 lead, but TCNJ somehow managed to take them all.
 
FOR THE RECORD

• TCNJ remained unbeaten at 9-0, while Haverford fell to an even 5-5

DOUBLES

• The Lions got off to quick start as Aayush Kishore and Dorian Makarski scored an 8-3 win over James McKenzie and Kirin Eicher at No. 2
• A few minutes later, Brett Schuster and Alberto Thomas downed Adam Chow and Justin Minerva by the same score at No. 3
• The match turned at No. 1, where Matthew Michibata and Harrison Maitland-Carter found themselves in a 6-4 hole against Marko Arboleda and Stefan Johnson. Unfazed, the Lions' top pairing ripped off the next four games and sealed an 8-6 win with a second straight break of serve

SINGLES

• Haverford made its move early in singles, taking straight-set victories at No. 4 and No. 6 to get within 3-2
• The remaining four courts all went to a third set, and all four went the way of the Lions
• Maitland-Carter put TCNJ on the cusp of victory with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Nikhil Lavu at No. 5
• Seconds later, Adrian Tsui snagged a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 win over Johnson at No. 2, breaking late in the third set for the breathing room he needed to secure the clinching point
• Just minutes later, Michibata pulled another thrilling 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 victory. 
• The result already in hand, Kishore made the score look even better with a 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 defeat of Aiden Kim at No. 3. Kishore and Kim were tied 4-4 in the decisive set before Kishore broke serve to eke out another nail-biter

NOTES

• The wins for Maitland-Carter, Tsui, and Michibata all happened within a span of about a minute
• Saturday marked the Lions' third win over a nationally ranked team this season
• The win was TCNJ's first at Haverford since 2016 and snapped a two-match skid on the Main Line
• Michibata extended his school record for career doubles wins to an even 80

UP NEXT

• TCNJ returns home to resume WIAC East Division play against Ramapo on Friday