The Georgetown University men’s tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the Big East Tournament before losing to St. John’s University on April 18, while the women’s team narrowly lost to the University of Connecticut (UConn) in the quarterfinals April 17.
The men’s team kicked off the action Friday morning, as the No. 4 seed Georgetown (8-15, 3-3 Big East) faced No. 5 seed Butler University (8-15, 2-4 Big East). In their regular-season matchup, the Hoyas dominated, taking the doubles match and five out of six singles matches to claim the overall matchup 6-1.
In the postseason, the Hoyas lost the doubles point before sweeping singles. Following his loss in the doubles match, first-year Joshua Lamm-Bocharov stormed out to a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 3 singles to tie the overall match 1-1. Sophomore Jacob Mann saved a set point before taking his first set in a tiebreak, and shortly after, first-year Cyrus Zia wrapped up a comprehensive 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 6 to give Georgetown the lead.
Arthur O’Sullivan followed, triumphing 7-6, 6-1 at No. 1. The Hoyas now had potential clinching matches on courts No. 2, 4, and 5. After a long rally on match point, Mann’s opponent rushed the net and volleyed, popping it up just enough for Mann to advance and crush a forehand, winning the match.
Mann celebrated with his teammates as they rushed the court. Graduate Burke Pablo’s post-match hug lifted Mann off the ground, while Zia emerged on the scene, crazily waving a towel in the air. Head Coach Freddy Mesmer said the moment was a testament to the environment the team has cultivated this season.
“Our team really prides itself on being very tight-knit,” Mesmer wrote to The Hoya. “Obviously, in tennis, it’s such an individual sport, but our team does such a great job of supporting each other and understanding that in order to win at a high level, you need to come together as a group!”
It was the fourth year in a row that the Hoyas had reached the semifinals of the Big East Tournament.
That afternoon, the No. 4 seed Georgetown women’s team (8-9, 4-2 Big East) battled the No. 5 seed UConn (12-8, 4-3 Big East). The Hoyas overcame the Huskies 4-3 in the regular season, and Friday’s was another tight match.
The doubles point, which the Hoyas crucially claimed in their regular-season victory over UConn, did not go Georgetown’s way. Seniors Paige Gilbert and Ashley Kennedy dropped their set at No. 1 4-6, while first-years Ruhika Bhat and Julia Chu lost at No. 2 with the same score.
The Hoyas fell into a 2-0 hole after Kennedy lost 3-6, 2-6 at No. 4 singles. Georgetown showed signs of life, winning the next two singles. Junior Emily Novikov stormed out to a 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 1, before Chu prevailed 6-4, 6-2 at No. 2 to tie the overall match.
Gilbert lost 4-6, 4-6 at No. 6 to bring the Hoyas’ season to the brink, but for a moment Georgetown had a brief path to victory, as junior Katie Garofolo-Ro was in the midst of a third-set battle on court No. 3 and Bhat was up 2-0 in the third at No. 5.
Before Bhat could wrap up her match, however, Garofolo-Ro fell 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, giving the Huskies the 4-2 victory and ending Georgetown’s season.
The lone survivor Saturday was the men’s team, which was trying to avenge their regular-season loss to No. 1 seed St. John’s University (19-6, 5-0 Big East). The Hoyas split No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, and Pablo and Hank Williams battled at No. 3, but trailed the whole set, eventually losing 6-3 to clinch the doubles point for St. John’s.
The Hoyas ceded five first sets in singles play, with Arthur O’Sullivan the only player to establish a lead. For a brief moment, Georgetown had a path towards the match. Arthur O’Sullivan was cruising at 4-1 in the second, Lamm-Bocharov and Mann were up a break in their second sets, and Jonah Hill was battling on serve in his own second. If O’Sullivan had pulled through quickly and the other three had won their second sets, Georgetown would have had a chance, but O’Sullivan lost his 4-1 lead, just as his brother James O’Sullivan lost 4-6, 3-6 at No. 2. Shortly afterwards, Zia also fell 4-6, 1-6 at No. 6.
Mann won his second set 6-2 as Arthur O’Sullivan still sat locked in battle, and Hill was on the brink of forcing a third, with a 5-2 lead in the second set. However, Lamm-Bocharov fell 4-6, 3-6 in the next moments, cutting his teammates’ comeback efforts short.
The men’s team fell 4-0 to St. John’s, marking the official end of Georgetown men’s tennis 2025-26 season.
Mesmer said that despite winning only one Big East Tournament match across both tournaments, he was proud of both teams’ effort and is excited about where the programs are headed.
“I was very proud with the fight of both of our teams and although we did not get the results we wanted, the program is moving in the right direction,” Mesmer wrote. “I couldn’t be more excited for next season.”
