GREENCASTLE, Ind. -- The Kenyon College men's tennis team began its 2023 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Men's Tennis Tournament run with a 5-0 victory over Ohio Wesleyan University on Friday afternoon in the quarterfinal round.
The win propelled the Owls into the NCAC Tournament semifinal round, where they await the winner of the quarterfinal match between DePauw University, the No. 3-seed and tournament host, and The College of Wooster, the No. 6-seed.
Kenyon, the tournament's No. 2 seed and the No. 17-ranked team in the country, beat the seventh-seeded Battling Bishops for the second time this month, running the Owls' winning streak to eight in the process. The team's overall record improved to 13-9 this season. Ohio Wesleyan bowed out of postseason contention with a final record of 6-10 overall after a 1-6 mark in NCAC contests.
Three decisive doubles victories helped the Owls set the tone and quickly take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-nine dual. The No. 3 doubles duo of Christophe Leblanc and Eric Zhang raced to an 8-0 victory, finishing about 10 minutes quicker than the other duels. In the top spot, Eliezer Gonzalez and Paulo Pocasangre Kreling wrapped up an 8-3 win before Luis Andres Platas and Rishil Kondapaneni clinched the sweep with an 8-2 decision in the No. 2 bout.
When singles matches started, Leblanc and Zhang shined once again. Playing in the No. 6 spot, Leblanc was the first to finish. He secured a 6-0, 6-0 sweep to pull the Owls within a point of clinching the dual. Zhang capped the contest a few minutes later when he wrapped up a 6-0, 6-1 win in the No. 3 singles match.
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