ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Bowdoin College men's tennis dispatched defending national champion Case Western, 5-3, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Tuesday afternoon, advancing to the national semifinals for the first time since 2018.
The Polar Bears (22-6) advance to face Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the semifinal round Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. (ET)/12:00 p.m. (CT).
Match Highlights
- Bowdoin grabbed the early lead thanks to an impressive performance by Pieter Breuker and Andrew Mendelson, who posted a 38-minute 8-3 win at number three doubles.
- The last two doubles matches went to tiebreakers, and Bowdoin was able to post a dramatic comeback at number two. Trailing late in the match, Ethan Bradley and Jackson Codd rallied for an 8-7 (7-5) tiebreak victory to give the Polar Bears a key 2-1 lead heading to singles.
- Breuker capped his fantastic day with a decisive 6-3, 6-3 straight-set win at number three, followed by a 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 win from Tristan Bradley at number one to put Bowdoin on the brink of victory.
- Case was able to win a pair of straight-set singles matches, closing the gap to 4-3 with two matches remaining.
- Reid Staples closed the deal for Bowdoin at number two, earning a 7-5, 6-3 victory to clinch it for the Polar Bears.
Up Next
- Bowdoin will be making its fourth appearance all-time in the NCAA semifinals, but first since its string of appearances in 2016, '17, and '18.
- It will be the second meeting of the year between CMS and Bowdoin, with CMS earning a 4-3 (D1 scoring format) win on March 16 in California. The Stags advanced with a 5-3 win over Tufts on Tuesday afternoon.
- Middlebury will play Chicago in the other semifinal match on Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday's winners will meet in the national title match Friday at 2:00 p.m. (ET).
