Grinnell College got off to an impressive start against the nation’s ninth-ranked men’s tennis team, but the University of Chicago rallied for a 5-2 victory in the second round of NCAA Division III Tournament play Saturday at Saint Peter, Minn.
Grinnell led 2-1 after doubles, with an 8-4 victory at the No. 1 spot from Juan Carlos Perez ’11 and Dmitriy Glumov ’11 (pictured) and 8-4 win at No. 3 by Ishan Bhadkamkar ’13 and Martin Dluhos ’12. Perez and Glumov, ranked third in the Central Region, won their match over the eighth-ranked team in the region.
But Chicago posted four wins in singles to clinch the victory with Perez and Bhadkamkar still on the court for Grinnell.
Grinnell finishes the season at 23-8, the second-most wins in program history. Perez will continue on in the NCAA singles tournament.
Chicago improved to 17-4.
“It was really exciting to see us go out and compete well with a top 10 team in the country,” said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. “Our guys didn’t back down at any spot and left their hearts on the court. It was nice to have Juan and Dmi end their career together on a high note with a convincing victory over a solid pair from Chicago. It took a while for our No. 2 team to settle down, and when they did they climbed back and took the match down to the wire.
“Clearly the victory at No. 3 doubles excited us because we came out of doubles play with a 2-1 lead,” he added. “Both Martin and Ishan volleyed extremely well which helped us gain the victory. In singles, Chicago was just a grade above us at most spots, but we fought hard. Juan was leading a two-time All-American when the match ended, which shows that he’s developed his game and can play with the nation’s elite.”
