HAVERFORD, Pa. - The No.2 seed Haverford College men's tennis team (10–12) advanced to its second-straight Centennial Conference Championship match with a 4–1 victory over the No.3 seed Franklin & Marshall (12–7) on Friday afternoon at the Bramall Tennis Courts in the Centennial Conference Semifinals.
With just one doubles point on the line, Franklin & Marshall claimed the early advantage, taking courts one and three. At No. 1 doubles, Zac Ashtiani and Luke Brodsky defeated Marko Arboleda and Robbie Vazquez, 6–3. The Fords responded on court two, where Teo Bortan and Niki Lavu earned a 6–3 victory over S. Rudin-Aulenbach and Gonzalo Gentou to even the doubles matches. The Diplomats ultimately secured the point on court three, as Tucker Chesman and Nate Arnold edged Caden Hsia and Stefan Johnson, 7–6, (7-4 Tiebreaker) to take a 1–0 lead into singles play.
Haverford quickly turned the momentum around in singles, beginning on court two as Arboleda defeated Brodsky, 6–4, 6–4, to level the match score at 1–1. Bortan followed on court four with a 6–3, 6–2 win over Rudin-Aulenbach, giving the Fords a 2–1 advantage. Lavu then put Haverford one point away from the clinch with a 6–2, 6–3 victory over Ashtiani at No. 1 singles.
Vazquez then secured the decisive fourth point on court five, battling past Gentou in three sets, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4, to clinch the 4–1 victory for the Fords. The remaining matches at No. 3 (Johnson vs. Samuel Donnelly) and No. 6 (Hsia vs. Arnold) were left unfinished due to the Centennial Conference postseason clinch rule.
Haverford will now travel to Swarthmore, Pa., to face the No. 1-seeded Garnet in the Centennial Conference Championship on Sunday, May 3, at 1 p.m.
