STANFORD, Calif. – Making its 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament, Stanford men's tennis will begin its quest for its 18th title this weekend against St. John's on Columbia's campus. The host Lions are the No. 13 seed, and take on St. Francis Brooklyn in the first round.
The first round matchup with the Red Storm will be the first meeting in program history, while Stanford dropped the only matchup with Columbia in 2016, 4-3. The Cardinal has never matched up against St. Francis Brooklyn.
Stanford enters the tournament with a 14-10 overall record and as the No. 23 team in the country. The Cardinal holds three wins over top-25 opponents, while five different Stanford players have been ranked this season in singles. Stanford entered last weekend's Pac-12 Tournament as the only team in the country with three players ranked in the ITA's top-30.
Arthur Fery enters the tournament as the nation's No. 4 player, boasting a 15-4 record in the No. 1 position in dual play. Nishesh Basavareddy won the ITA Fall National Championship, and is currently ranked No. 15, while Max Basing is currently No. 27 but was as high as No. 4 nationally in February. Samir Banerjee rounds out the ranked Stanford players at No. 56.
Stanford is 113-26 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and has advanced beyond the regional round in four of the past six seasons.
NCAA first and second round competition features four teams playing in a single-elimination format. Following super regionals on campus sites, the final eight teams will advance to compete for the national championship May 17-27 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.