NORMAN, Okla. – Opening the 2024 NCAA Tournament in winning fashion, No. 19 Stanford men's tennis ran past No. 44 SMU, 4-0, on Friday at the Headington Family Tennis Center. Stanford improves to 18-6 this season and reaches the round of 32 for the ninth consecutive tournament.
The Cardinal jumped ahead in doubles, 1-0, with wins on courts two and three. The ranked tandem of Nishesh Basavareddy and Samir Banerjee kicked off the morning with a 6-2 victory on court two, while Aryan Chaudhary and Harsh Hemang Parikh clinched the early lead with a 6-4 win in the third position.
Stanford picked up a trio of straight set wins in singles to clinch the match and advance in the tournament. Nico Godsick and Neel Rajesh pushed the Cardinal advantage to 3-0 with matching 6-2, 6-2 victories on courts four and five, the latter earning his 11th consecutive win dating back to Jan. 28. Basavareddy earned the clincher – his fifth such win this season – on court one, downing the nation's No. 41 player, 6-2, 7-5.
Stanford will face either the regional host, No. 11 Oklahoma, or UT Arlington in the second round on Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. PT.
No. 19 Stanford 4, No. 44 SMU 0
DOUBLES
1) Neff/Barton (SMU) led No. 62 Basing/Godsick (STAN), 4-3 uf
2) No. 85 Banerjee/Basavareddy (STAN) d. Svajda/Louis Cloud (SMU), 6-2
3) Aryan Chaudhary/Harsh Hemang Parikh (STAN) d. Silagy/Steinhausen (SMU), 6-4
Order of Finish:2, 3
SINGLES
1) No. 16 Nishesh Basavareddy (STAN) d. No. 41 Trevor Svajda (SMU), 6-2, 7-5
2) No. 114 Adam Neff (SMU) led Max Basing (STAN), 7-6 (7), 4-1 uf
3) Kyle Kang (STAN) vs. Eric Hadigian (SMU), 4-6, 6-2 uf
4) Neel Rajesh (STAN) d. Julian Steinhausen (SMU), 6-2, 6-2
5) Nico Godsick (STAN) d. Make Silagy (SMU), 6-2, 6-2
6) Jerry Barton (SMU) led Hudson Rivera (STAN), 7-6 (5), 3-1 uf
Order of Finish:5, 4, 1