Zheng Wins Clincher as #7 Tartans Top #20 Johns Hopkins, 5-4

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The seventh-ranked Carnegie Mellon University men's tennis team defeated previously unbeaten and 20th-ranked Johns Hopkins University, 5-4, on Sunday, April 9 at home. The Tartans improved to 15-7 on the year while the Blue Jays fell to 7-1.

Johns Hopkins held a 2-1 lead after doubles play with the No. 3 pair of senior Kenny Zheng (Pennington, N.J./Hopewell Valley Central) and freshman Michael Rozenvasser (Haworth, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) winning 8-5 for the Tartans.

The Tartans earned the first singles point after Mike Buxbaum had to retire at first singles due to an injury.

Johns Hopkins went back up one when Jeremy Dubin outlasted Rozenvasser in three sets at second singles.

Sophomore Chaz Downing (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona Del Mar) and senior Kiril Kirkov (Tampa, Fla./C. Leon King) finished at the same time with victories at third and sixth singles giving the Tartans a 4-3 advantage. Downing rallied to win 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) while Kirkov won 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.

The Blue Jays then tied the match at fifth singles when Emerson Walsh won a three-set match against sophomore Vayum Arora (Fremont, Calif./Mission San Jose), 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, 6-4.

The final point was earned by Zheng for Carnegie Mellon when he rallied from a set down to win in three sets, 6-7 (0-7), 7-5, 6-3.

The Tartans will next take to the court for game action on Friday, April 21 in the quarterfinal round of the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship in Altamonte Springs, Florida.