Melnikov, Koduri Advance to National Doubles Semifinals

ORLANDO - Swarthmore College men's tennis duo of Michael Melnikov and Utham Koduri defeated Washington University in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Individual Championship on Friday afternoon. The Garnet will advance to tomorrow's semifinals to play Case Western Reserve University in doubles action.

After earning All-American status with a first round victory over George Fox College, the Garnet rose to the challenge with a second round matchup versus Abhi Ramireddy and Phuc Huynh of Washington University. Melnikov and Koduri were put to the test with a three-set showdown as they pulled out an impressive victory (6-4, 4-6, 6-3) over the Bears.

The first-year duo took the first set after a tightly-contested opening. After falling behind 4-3, the Garnet closed out the stanza with three-consecutive victories to claim the opener, 6-4. Swarthmore carried momentum into the second set as they claimed the first three games. However, the Bears would take six of the next seven to even the match and force a third set, 4-6.

Much like the opening set, the Garnet weathered the storm early as both teams traded games to open the final stanza. Melnikov and Koduri then took control with three-straight games to clinch victory over Washington University, 6-3.

Melnikov and Koduri return to action in the doubles semifinals tomorrow at 1:00 pm. The first-year duo will look to advance past Diego Maza and Chris Provenzano as they set their sights on Sunday's Championship finale.

Print Friendly Version