SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The No. 13 Swarthmore College men's tennis team protected its home court with a 7-2 victory over No. 29 University of Mary Washington on Saturday afternoon. The Garnet improved to 6-0 at home and have won 13-straight contests on their home courts. 

Michael Melnikov and Max Lindstrom led the way with victories in both singles and doubles action. Melnikov and Utham Koduri combined for a nationally-ranked victory over a top-10 opponent, while Melnikov defeated another nationally-ranked challenger in singles. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
DOUBLES
- Melnikov/ Koduri toppled the No. 10 pairing in the nation with an 8-5 decision in top doubles. The Swarthmore duo improved to 6-1 in dual meets, while challenging themselves against a tough non-conference schedule. 

- Andres Fente/ Rushil Patel battled to a gritty victory in No. 2 doubles. Swarthmore held a small lead for the majority of the match, before finishing off their opponents with a 8-6 victory. 

- Swarthmore swept doubles play with another hard-fought win in No. 3 action. Max Lindstrom/ Aadhi Raja held on for an 8-7 victory after Mary Washington battled back to force a tiebreaker. The Garnet led early in the tiebreaker and went on to claim the match with a 7-5 decision. 



HOW IT HAPPENED
SINGLES
- Melnikov defeated the No. 38 player in the nation in straight sets. The sophomore won the match with a pair of 6-4 victories to remain perfect on the afternoon. 

- Lindstrom also captured a pair of wins with a victory in No. 2 singles. The sophomore pulled away midway through the opening set with a 6-2 victory. He then cruised to a straight-sets win with a 6-1 decision in set two. 

- Winston Zhang was victorious in No. 4 singles. Zhang won the opening set with a 7-5 tiebreaker, before cruising to victory with a 6-1 second set.

- Rishi Verma took care of business in No. 5 singles. Verma hung on for a 6-3 decision in the opening set, while claiming the match with a 6-1 second set.

- Rushil Patel dropped a three-set decision in No. 3 singles, while Lalith Suresh fell in a tightly-contested, three-set showdown in No. 6 singles. Suresh dropped his tiebreaker 11-9 in an intense, back-and-forth battle to end the afternoon. 

UP NEXT
The Garnet (9-1) continue to challenge themselves as they host No. 20 North Carolina Wesleyan University on Sunday.