The Emory University men’s and women’s tennis teams are starting their seasons with momentum after strong performances last year, setting a promising tone for the rest of the year. Last season, the women’s team saw its return to the NCAA Final Four for the second time in three seasons, and they finished in second place at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships. The men’s team returned to the Elite Eight for the 33rd consecutive season and had third-place finishes at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Indoor Championships and UAA Championships.
The men’s team picked up 14 wins across the Spartan Fall Invitational on Sept. 19 and 20, building momentum in the start of their season. At the ITA South Regional Championships earlier in October, the Eagles swept both the singles and doubles titles, with Emory players facing each other in both finals.
In this past weekend’s singles match, senior Dean Kamenev started out strong, winning the first three games against sophomore Ruilin Feng in the first set. However, Feng rallied to win the set 7-6 and took the second set with a score of 6-3 to claim his first individual regional title. Kamenev said facing his teammate was a lot of pressure, but playing against tough competition helped sharpen his skills.
“It’s always tough to play your own teammate with the balance, being respectful and also wanting to win,” Kamenev said. “The competition against your teammate is always out of love and it was fun.”
In the doubles matchup, sophomore Ajay Kartik and freshman Matthew Johnstone claimed the title over senior John Lasanajak and freshman Daniel Kim in the doubles final.
Their wins at the ITA South Regionals secured their spots in the ITA Cup this past weekend, where they clinched both the singles and doubles championships. Feng defeated the reigning national champion Advik Mareedu from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) in three sets, making him the fourth in program history to win the championship. Kartik and Johnstone also won their doubles match, making them the third in program history to win the title.
This season’s roster mixes experienced upperclassmen with promising new talent, some of whom have already contributed to program milestones. The team looks to build on this momentum and chemistry heading into the rest of their season, with head coach John Browning leading the team in his 27th season with the Eagles. Browning is one of the few coaches in NCAA history to win a national team championship both as a player and as a coach, and understands the importance of a flexible coach who is willing to adapt to a dynamic team’s needs.
“I’m so passionate about [coaching] because you’re always trying to get better,” Browning said. “Every year I’m trying to change things. Obviously, keep the core elements that are successful, and that’s the team is always number one, supersedes all individual pursuits.”
Kamanev, captain of the men’s team, said while tennis is not traditionally considered a team sport, it is important to be selfless and help each other improve.
“But for me, what’s most important is keeping people accountable, making sure that everyone’s coming with the right mentality every day to practice to get better,” Kamanev said.
The women’s team has also seen a strong start to its season. Led by coach Bridget Disher in her fourth season as head coach, the women’s team had a successful debut at the ITA South Regionals from Sept. 26-28. The Eagles swept both singles and doubles, with an all-Eagle standoff in the final matches. In the doubles match, seniors Emily Kantrovitz and Iris Berman defeated senior Izzy Antanavicius and freshman Erika Olson in straight sets.
In singles, Antanavicius took on Kantrovitz in a hard-fought match that lasted over two hours, with Antanavicius ultimately claiming the singles title. Antanavicius said having a strong team allows for all her teammates to be able to push her to improve.
“That’s one of the best gifts that you could have for teammates in general,” Antanavicius said. “Every single person on the team is able to push me and really push my limits on the tennis court as a person, as a player, as a competitor in every way.”
At the ITA Cup this past weekend, the Eagles fell short of the titles, with Kantrovitz and Berman losing in their semifinal doubles match against a duo from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, while Antanavicius was defeated by Fiona Lee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after three sets.
Despite these losses, the team has high expectations for the spring season and the NCAA tournament as they continue to improve after a strong run last year. Disher said the team’s ability to keep raising the bar during the season is what fuels their improvement.
“They want to be out there, they want to be fighting and they want to be winning,” Disher said. “Sometimes that’s something that can’t be taught, but it’s something that is definitely strengthened when each and every player brings that.”
As much as the players are working to improve, Antanavicius said Disher’s adaptability and willingness to adjust practices and her coaching to support the progression of the team’s abilities is also an important factor in their development.
“Every year is extremely different because of that,” Antanavicius said. “She’s listening to us and taking that feedback and changing our practices, how we go into matches, and literally anything she’s willing to change, to improve our quality on this team.”
Looking toward the spring season, the Eagles are hoping to make a strong run, especially after they were so close to winning the national championship last year. Disher said these early successes have come from the unified energy of the team, and they set a high standard for the rest of the season.
“We can’t just have that energy from one or two people,” Disher said. “It has to come from everyone, and it’s really unique and rare to see that from the beginning.”
