Last weekend, the Holy Cross College men’s tennis team extended their dominant shutout streak to five, defeating both St. Ambrose and Bethel 4-0. The wins brought their record to an impressive 8-2, with all eight victories coming after two disappointing losses at the start of the season. Holy Cross is now 2-0 in conference play, and their convincing displays have landed them the No. 8 spot in the national rankings. The Saints have been so dominant in the last few years that one has to look all the way back to 2023 to find their last conference loss.
Holy Cross duo of seniors Luca McManus and Matthew Jezyk kicked off the doubles play against St. Ambrose, defeating fellow seniors Sebastian Arevalo and Gabriel Guimaray 6-1. Junior Oscar Wai and senior Hugh O’Sullivan followed suit with a 6-1 scoreline against junior Austin Hutton and freshman Emilio Palencia. The two-doubles match was abandoned after five contested games, with Holy Cross freshman Diego Blanco Goytia and senior Thomas Friesen leading junior Miguel Sampaio and freshman Samy Khiyara 3-2.
Wai picked up where he left off in singles, cruising past Arevalo 6-1 6-1. McManus came through a scrappier battle on court two, beating Guimaray 6-2 6-3. Jezyk put the dual to bed, racing past Sampaio 6-1 6-2. Goytia led Khiyara 6-4 3-0 before their match was abandoned. Similarly, sophomore Grant Hedley was up 6-4 2-1 against Hutton, and Friesen was in firm control of his match against junior Shingai Manyonga, 6-2 2-1. All Saints singles players either won or led their respective matches on the day.
The Saints rested on Sunday, then returned to South Bend for a dual against Bethel University. Things got off to a rocky start for Holy Cross, with Bethel freshmen Dimitar Berdankov and Lukas Slivar taking the opener 6-4. The Saints rallied, however, taking two contested doubles matches, as well as the following three singles matches, adding another sweep to the tally.
Holy Cross will try to keep their momentum going in preparation for a huge battle against the University of Chicago on Sunday, April 19. The Maroons currently sit a 14-3, with their own impressive five-match win streak. Historically, the Maroons have dominated the NCAA Men’s DIII tennis circuit, with championships in 2022 and 2024. They are led by sophomore Shrikeshav Murugesan, who is currently No. 1 in the central region of Division III college tennis, and has established himself as one of the best players in the country.
Despite the odds, Holy Cross has shown all season they have the chops to compete with any team they face. Their clash with UChicago will be the ideal preparation for postseason tennis, testing nerves in clutch moments. In order to win, the Saints must come out of the gate hot and snag the team doubles point. The momentum could provide the spark they need to cook up a few upsets and steal the dual.
Matchplay begins April 19 at 2:00 p.m. EST at the Eck Tennis Center.
