GILBERT, Ariz. – The Swarthmore College men's tennis team is slotted eighth in the preseason edition of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Coaches Poll, the organization announced this week.
The Garnet enter the campaign as the three-time defending Centennial Conference champion. Swarthmore advanced to the Round of 16 in last year's NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national champion Denison University, finishing with a 16-7 record.
The Garnet return their entire singles lineup with
Michael Melnikov,
Max Lindstrom,
Rishi Verma,
Lalith Suresh,
Kai Chen, and
Aamish Pal all back in the fold. During the fall tournament season, Melnikov won the ITA Southeast Regional to qualify for the ITA Cup, where he reached the quarterfinals. He is a three-time Centennial Conference Player of the Year.
Lindstrom, Verma, Suresh, Chen, and Pal all finished with double-digit victories in 2024-25. Lindstrom was an All-Centennial First Team selection. Verma earned second team status while Chen received honorable mention.
All three of Swarthmore's double pairs from last season remain intact and all three recorded double-digit wins. Melnikov and
Utham Koduri advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Tournament a year ago, reaching the round for the second time in their careers.
Andres Fente and Chen were All-Centennial First Team honorees while the duo of Lindstrom and
Winston Zhang garnered second team distinction.
The Garnet start the spring at the ITA Indoor National Championship for the second consecutive year. They will take on Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in the quarterfinals on February 20.
Read more: ITA Preseason Poll
