CLAREMONT, Calif. – The 24th ranked Skidmore College men's tennis team took on the nation's best teams in day one of the Stag-Hen Invitational, hosted by Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps colleges on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. The Thoroughbreds dropped their first match to #5 Washington University (MO) 6-3, then fell to #11 Wesleyan University by a 6-3 score.

Skidmore falls to 4-3 on the season, with all three losses to top-12 teams in the Oracle/ITA Division III national polls. Skidmore will wrap up play in the tournament against #8 Whitman on Wednesday.

In match one, Skidmore won a game each in doubles and singles play. The duo of Kai Yuen Leung and John Wynne easily dispatched Washington's Jason Haugen and Konrod Kozlowski 8-3 at #1. Travis Leaf earned Skidmore's lone victory in singles action, coming back from dropping his first set at sixth singles to rally to a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Kozlowski.

In match two, the Thoroughbreds took two of three doubles matches, but Wesleyan won five of six singles matches to clinch the victory. Leung and Wynne notched their second victory on the day, defeating Wesleyan's Michael Liu Jake Roberts 9-7 at the top spot. At third doubles, Leaf and Nils Akesson edged Greg Lyon Cameron Hicks of Wesleyan by an 8-6 score. Wynne wrapped up a solid day in singles action, getting Skidmore's lone victory in dramatic fashion, defeating Joachim Samson in three sets, 6-2, 5-7, 11-9.
 
Tennis Match Results
Skidmore College vs Washington U.
Mar 14, 2017 at Claremont, CA
(Biszantz Family Tennis Center)
 
#5 Washington U. 6, #24 Skidmore College 3
 
Singles competition
1. Johnny Wu (WASHU) def. Kai Yuen Leung (SKID) 6-1, 6-3
2. John Carswell (WASHU) def. Steven Koulouris (SKID) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
3. Bernardo Neves (WASHU) def. Lucas Pickering (SKID) 6-2, 7-5
4. John Wynne (SKID) def. Shaun Bergman (WASHU) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
5. J.J. Kroot (WASHU) def. Ted Berkowitz (SKID) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Travis Leaf (SKID) def. Konrod Kozlowski (WASHU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
 
Doubles competition
1. Kai Yuen Leung/John Wynne (SKID) def. Jason Haugen/Konrod Kozlowski (WASHU) 8-3
2. Jeremy Bush/J.J. Kroot (WASHU) def. Steven Koulouris/Lucas Pickering (SKID) 8-6
3. Radha Vishnubhotla/Bernardo Neves (WASHU) def. Ted Berkowitz/Travis Leaf (SKID) 8-2
 
Match Notes:
Skidmore College 4-2; National ranking #24
Washington U. 4-2; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,3,5,2,6,4)
T-4:17 A-20

Tennis Match Results
Wesleyan University vs Skidmore College
Mar 14, 2017 at Claremont, CA
(Biszantz Family Tennis Center)
 
#11 Wesleyan University 6, #24 Skidmore College 3
 
Singles competition
1. Steven Chen (WESM) def. Kai Yuen Leung(SKID) 7-5, 6-2
2. Michael Liu (WESM) def. Steven Koulouris (SKID) 7-5, 6-4
3. Tiago Eusebio (WESM) def. Lucas Pickering (SKID) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0
4. John Wynne (SKID) def. Joachim Samson (WESM) 6-2, 5-7, 11-9
5. Jonathan Holtzman (WESM) def. Ted Berkowitz (SKID) 6-3, 6-2
6. Princeton Carter (WESM) def. Travis Leaf (SKID) 6-0, 6-3
 
Doubles competition
1.  Kai Yuen Leung/John Wynne (SKID) def. Michael Liu/Jake Roberts (WESM) 9-7
2. Tiago Eusebio/Maxwell Smith (WESM) def. Steven Koulouris/Lucas Pickering (SKID) 9-8
3. Travis Leaf/Nils Akesson (SKID) def. Greg Lyon/Cameron Hicks (WESM) 8-6
 
Match Notes:
Wesleyan University 1-1; National ranking #11
Skidmore College 4-3; National ranking #21
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,1,5,3,2,4)
T-3:55