NORMAN, Okla. (SMU) – The SMU men's tennis team fell 4-0 to No. 20 Stanford at the Headington Family Tennis Center on Friday in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships.

"Another solid season for the Mustangs," said Head Coach Grant Chen. "This group has grown so much since January. Stanford was very strong in certain spots. We are proud of Adam, Jerry and Eric putting themselves in a position to close out their matches."

The Mustangs returned to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year and first time as an at-large bid under Chen.

SMU finishes the season 17-11, improving its win percentage from the year before. Including Stanford (18-6), the Mustangs faced a total of 11 teams ranked by the ITA this season.

"I want to thank this graduating group that has given so much to this program," Chen said. "While we are extremely disappointed with the loss, we are proud of all that was accomplished this season. We will celebrate our graduates this weekend at commencement and then be prepared to compete at the NCAA Individual Championships."

The Cardinal took courts two and three to claim the team doubles point.

Adam Neff and Jerry Barton both took the first sets of their singles matches by way of a tiebreaker, with both going on to lead their second set before the conclusion of the match. Eric Hadigian also claimed his first set against Stanford's Kyle Kang.

Stanford would go on to earn three singles points and advance to the second round.

Neff, Trevor Svajda and Huntley Allen will compete in the 2024 NCAA Individual Championships on May 20-25 at the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Okla.
 
Singles Scores:
1. Nishesh Basavareddy def. No. 41 Trevor Svajda (6-2, 7-5)
2. No. 114 Adam Neff vs. Max Basing (7-6(8-6), 4-1 – UNF)
3. Eric Hadigian vs. Kyle Kang (6-4, 2-6 – UNF)
4. Neel Rajesh def. Julian Steinhausen (6-2, 6-2)
5. Nicholas Godsick def. Maks Silagy (6-2, 6-2)
6. Jerry Barton vs. Hudson Rivera (7-6(7-5), 3-1 – UNF)
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 1
 
Doubles Scores:
1. Adam Neff/Jerry Barton vs. No. 62 Max Basing/Nicholas Godsick (4-3 – UNF)
2. No. 85 Samir Banerjee/Nishesh Basavareddy def. Louis Cloud/Trevor Svajda (6-2)
3. Aryan Chaudhary/Harsh Hemang Parikh def. Maks Silagy/Julian Steinhausen (6-4)
Order of Finish: 2, 3