The Georgetown men’s tennis team opened its season with a double-header against Old Dominion and Hampton, splitting the dual match with a 7-0 loss to the Monarchs and 7-0 sweep of the Pirates in Norfolk, Va., on Jan. 18 and 19. 

Georgetown faced off with Old Dominion to begin the two-day tournament, challenging the Monarchs for the first time since the 2011-12 season, during which the Hoyas suffered a 6-1 loss. 

The first match of the tournament was the singles matchup between senior Ian Witmer and Old Dominion Monarchs Nicola Vidal. Witmer finished his last season with a 4-5 singles record while managing a 6-8 doubles record after three consecutive doubles wins to open the 2018-19 season. 

In the matchup with Vidal, Witmer was defeated 6-0 in the first set and 6-1 in the second. Witmer also lost 7-6 in his doubles competition, playing alongside freshman Kieran Foster.

Foster, in his inaugural year with the Hoyas, finished the preseason on a high note. At the Navy Fall Invite, he finished 3-0 in his event. Foster was seeded No. 15 overall at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association regionals in Charlottesville, Va., in mid-October, demonstrating potential to be a key player for the Hoyas’ tennis crew in the future. Foster, however, was also defeated in his singles match against Old Dominion’s Francois Musitelli, dropping his first set 6-4 and losing the second 6-1. 

Georgetown’s second doubles matchup against Old Dominion consisted of junior Rohan Kamdar and sophomore Andrew Rozanov, who fell to the Monarchs’ Musitelli and Jannick Giesse 6-3. 

Kamdar finished his last season with a 6-13 singles record and a 13-8 doubles record, including eight straight doubles wins alongside junior Connor Lee. Kamdar went up against Old Dominion’s Tomislav Podvinski in a singles matchup, falling 6-2 in both sets.

Rozanov wrapped up his previous season with an 11-13 singles record and an 8-11 doubles record. Between last March and April, he won five consecutive singles matches, including one conference win against an opponent from Xavier. In his singles competition against the Monarchs, he lost 7-5 and 6-2 to Oliver Tobisch. 

Lee proved to be tough competition against Luca Maldoner, ranked No. 93 by ITA, of Old Dominion, playing three sets 2-6, 6-2 and 3-0 before falling to his opponent. Lee finished the last season with a 6-17 singles record, as well as an 14-9 doubles record. Although he recorded eight consecutive doubles wins to start the last season, he was defeated in his doubles match with junior Charlie Sharton 6-2.

Sharton tallied an 8-13 singles record last season with a 9-12 doubles record, with particularly notable four straight singles wins in October. His freshman season resulted in greater success with a 14-2 singles record and seven opening match wins. 

Another strong performance against the Monarchs came from junior Mark Militzer, who managed three sets against Old Dominion’s Younes Lalami, falling 6-4 in the first set before taking the second set 2-6. Despite his efforts, Militzer fell in the third set 1-0. 

Militzer finished the 2018-19 season with a singles record of 7-11 while going 7-6 in doubles. Having won three consecutive matchups in October and four straight doubles matches, Militzer is poised for greater success in the upcoming season. 

On the second day of the tournament, the Blue and Gray found far greater success against the Pirates, whom the Hoyas haven’t played against since the 2006-07 season. 

The men, after failing to earn a point against Old Dominion, swept Hampton in singles games. Foster finished 6-2, 6-3 in his match, Kamdar played three sets to win 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 and Miltzer put away his opponent 6-3, 6-1. 

Witmer also swept his opponent 6-2, 6-1 while Rozanov took his match in two sets 6-3, 6-2. Ross rounded out the Blue and Gray’s dominant singles performance with a 7-6, 6-1 win. 

The doubles matchups ended with two more wins for the Hoyas as Kamdar and Rozanov returned to the court together to secure the 6-2 win. Sharton and Ross followed Kamdar and Rozanov’s victory by taking their set 6-1. Witmer and Foster recorded the Blue and Gray’s only loss of the day, dropping their doubles game 6-3. 

Following the double-header, Georgetown continues on with a 1-1 record. The men are set to travel to West Point, N.Y., the first weekend of February to play Binghamton and West Point in a two-day tournament.