Kenyon doubles team reaches consolation final

RESULTS

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Select members of the Kenyon College men's tennis team participated in singles and doubles tournaments during the weekend-long Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Central Region Championships, which played out at Kalamazoo College.

Topping the list of highlights for the Lords was the run that juniors Thomas Kallarakal and Luis Andres Platas made all the way to the consolation finals. In the main bracket, the Kenyon duo lost its first match, 8-3, to Scott Yamamoto and Jared Phillips of Washington University in St. Louis.

From there, Kallarakal and Platas moved into the consolation bracket and rattled off three straight wins to reach the final. The Kenyon pair built momentum with an 8-5 win over a team from Wabash College. They earned a bye through the next round and then won a close 8-7 (6) match against Adrian Alousi and Dylan Drier from Kalamazoo. Advancing to the semifinal round, Kallarakal and Platas posted an 8-3 victory against Jacob Burkett and Matt Henkel from Hope College.

In the consolation final, Kallarakal's and Platas' run came to an end as North Central College's Javier Suarez Balsera and Ramon Vilarroig Martinez earned the walkover due to injury.

In singles play, first-year Rishil Kondapaneni had Kenyon's best performance. In his opening match he ousted Suarez Balsera, the bracket's No. 9-seeded player, by a 6-4, 6-1 count. Kondapaneni then defeated Riley Muren of Webster University 6-1, 6-0. Following that, Kondapaneni polished off another seeded player. This time it was No. 5-seed Ian Yi of Kalamazoo. Kondapaneni won that match 7-5, 7-5 to take his place in the semifinal round.

James Hopper, the tournament's top seed from Case Western Reserve University, awaited Kondapaneni in the semifinal. Hopper backed up his No. 1 seed by finishing off Kondapaneni 6-1, 6-1.

Meanwhile, Platas won his first two singles matches, defeating opponents from Trine University and Wabash before falling to Case Western Reserve's Vishwa Aduru. Additionally, first-year Eric Zhang went 1-1 in singles play for the Kenyon team.

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Players Mentioned

Thomas Kallarakal: Junior

Luis Andres Platas: Junior

Rishil Kondapaneni: First-Year

Eric Zhang: First-Year

Players Mentioned

Thomas Kallarakal
: Junior

Luis Andres Platas
: Junior

Rishil Kondapaneni
: First-Year

Eric Zhang
: First-Year