This past weekend, both Brandeis tennis teams played in their final tournaments of the 2019-2020 fall seasons. On the men’s side, the team headed south to Middletown, CT to compete in the Wesleyan University Invitational while the women traveled up north to Middlebury, VT to take on the Middlebury Hidden Duals. Colt Tegtmeier ’22 was the top performer for the men, winning his singles flight, while Diana Dehterevich ’20 and Lauren Bertsch ’21 both beat Williams College in singles matches to produce the women’s sole wins of the competition.

Tegtmeier started off singles play strong in the ‘D’ draw with an upset against the number one seeded opponent from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), ending with a score of 6-0, 6-2. He then took on the Tufts University Jumbos, winning 6-4, 7-5 in the quarterfinals. On the other side of the bracket, fellow classmate Nico Ramirez ’22 beat out the hosts of Wesleyan 6-1, 6-1 in the opening round.  From there, he matched up teammate Hunter Levine ’23 in the quarterfinals, forcing a third set with scores of 3-6, 6-1, 15-13. This is where Tegtmeier and Ramirez met, competing in the semifinals against each other, but it was ultimately Tegtmeier that surfaced with the win, completing the match by a margin of 6-2, 6-3. Once again, the Judges would have a face-off against their own peers, as Tegtmeier took on Benjamin Wolfe ’20 after he had beaten the Bowdoin College Polar Bears 3-6, 6-4, 10-3 in the first round, an opponent from Middlebury College by a 2-6, 6-4, 10-6 margin in the second round, and finally the Amherst College Mammoths by scores of 7-5, 7-5 in the third. This made for an all Brandeis finals, with Tegtmeier taking the top spot with an overall winning score of 3-6, 6-3, 12-10.

Also leading for the Judges was Anupreeth Coramutla ’21 and David Aizenberg ’20 in doubles action. In the ‘A’ draw, the duo took on all schools from the New England Small College Athletic Conference, first defeating Tufts 8-5 to open play. In the second, the pair beasted Wesleyan 8-7 (7-3). Against competitors from Bowdoin in the semifinals, the Judges won by the same margin of 8-7 (7-3) before heading to the championship. In the finals, Coramutla and Aizenberg saw action from another Wesleyan pair, defeating them 8-6.

Continuing in doubles action, Tegtmeier once again fought strong. With partner Rajan Vohra ’21, they were able to defeat RPI 8-3 to start off the bracket. Next, they faced Middlebury in the quarterfinals, winning 8-6. They continued to meet Amherst in the semifinals, winning handily by a score of 8-5. It was in the finals that the duo fell, losing to the number one seeded pair from Bowdoin in a tiebreaker 7-8 (3-7).

For his performances, Tegtmeier received Brandeis Athlete of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 22.

At Middlebury, the women’s tennis team saw tough competition in doubles action, as they were unable to pick up a single win. However, in singles, Dehterevich and Bertsch were able to come out strong with wins over the Williams Ephs. Detervich bested Katherine Orgielewics 6-4, 6-4 while Bertsch defeated Chloe Henderson in a tiebreaker 3-6, 6-2, 10-6.
Both tennis teams will take a break until the spring of 2020 when they return to the court to take on the Bryant University Bulldogs. The men will also compete in their first ever run to the  Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Team Indoor Championships in Minnesota in February.