SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Locked in a back-and-forth match all afternoon, the Santa Clara men's tennis team protected its home court with a 4-3 victory against the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Saturday, improving the Broncos home record to an unblemished mark of 5-0.
Coming in ranked at No. 72 in the nation, Santa Clara scraped out a tiebreak victory in doubles before clinching three out of four matches in singles, two of which coming in a three set fashion, to best the Kangaroos.
"It's a really good team victory for us," said freshman Kamran Khan. "Overall, we competed well. Not our best tennis. We competed well and pull it out when it mattered."
With the match on the line and two remaining matches going in the favor of UMKC, Andrew Gu rallied from a first set defeat and a 4-1 deficit in the third set on Court 2 to score five consecutive points and the win for Santa Clara.
"Second set, I was like, 'Alright, I have to focus in, move my feet, have to change my game plan,'" said Gu. "In the third set, it was basically mental, just staying focused, not giving up. I wasn't playing my best tennis but at the end of the day it was all about my fight."
Over three hours before the clincher, Khan and Jeffrey Liang put the Broncos ahead early in doubles action. Trading the first eight points on Court 3, the freshmen duo secured the final two points to grab the 6-4 win, the tandem's fourth victory in five outings.
"The chemistry is really good," said Khan. "I think, between the both of us, we've just kind of had a little streak going and just keep building the momentum so that's good for us."
Despite taking a 3-0 advantage on Court 1, Robert Seby and Gu lost their rhythm and found themselves in a hole down 6-5. Unable to make a comeback, the Santa Clara tandem was defeated 7-5. With the decision coming down to Court 2, Connor Garnett and Ashot Khacharyan responded from a 2-3 deficit to tie the match 3-3. Trading the next six points, the duo pulled out a victory in the tiebreaker.
"We were focusing on our game," said Khacharyan. "We were being a bit quieter because we wanted to focus more. That was the key thing for us, to focus on our game and do what we had to do."
Midway through the first set of all six singles matches, Khacharyan was the only Bronco to have a lead. Finding rhythm early and often, the senior tallied a 6-3 winner in the first set. In set number two, Khacharyan continued to push his opponent off the backline, forcing Airam Castellano in return shots that ended up in the net. Khacharyan broke serve to lead 5-4 and finished off the match with the next point.
"I didn't have too many ups and downs so that was a good thing," he said. "I kept the same level throughout the match."
Santa Clara would go on to grab the first set on Courts 4 and 5 but UMKC kept pace, claiming the first frame on the remaining three courts. Beginning set number two, the losing competitor for both squads responded, forcing four out the remaining five matches to a third and final set.
On Court 4, Garnett fell 6-2, 6-2 in sets two and three to put UMKC on the board.
Knotted at 1-1, Khan broke the tie on Court 5. Playing back-and-forth throughout the first set, the Santa Clara freshman came away with the final two points and the set. In set number two, he trailed the entire way, falling 6-3. Regrouping from a 4-3 deficit in the final frame, Khan grabbed his sixth victory of the season and seventh overall after the 6-4 finish.
"Second set, I think I became a little lackadaisical, lost a little focus and let the guy back in the match," he said. "I had to pick up my energy. In the third set, down a break again, I found a way to win."
Gu's comeback victory, his eighth win of the year and first at the No. 2 position, sealed the deal.
With the victory in the books, Santa Clara and UMKC played out the two remaining matches on Courts 3 and 6. Seby was bested 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 and Mathieu fell 7-5, 7-6, results that dropped both competitors below the .500 mark on the year.
Next up, Santa Clara hosts Weber State University on March 7 at 3 p.m.
"Right now, we just have a lot of stuff to work on, some issues here and there but if get all those done, we're pretty much good to go," said Gu.
