CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Gage Gohl,
Tyler Haddorff, and
Dominik Knutson of the No. 23 nationally ranked Gustavus men's tennis team competed in the opening day of the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championships on Saturday. Gohl and Haddorff, the 2024 doubles national champions, won their opening round match to advance to the Elite Eight. In singles, both Gohl and Knutson won their first round matches but fell in round two.
In doubles, the No. 12 duo of Gohl and Haddorff went head-to-head against the No. 13 team of Colin Fox and Jeremy Sieben of WashU in the opening round. The top Gustie squad took down the Bears' duo 6-2, 7-5 to advance to the national quarterfinals.
With the doubles win, Gohl and Haddorff improved to 28-5 as a doubles team this year with a 12-1 mark in tournament matches.
No. 14 nationally ranked Gohl battled No. 13 Ethan Green of Denison in the first round of the singles tournament. The senior earned a 6-4, 6-4 over his Big Red opponent to advance to the second round. In the Round of 16, Gohl took on No. 3 Mark Kneiss of Bowdin. The senior fell 6-1, 6-4 to the top-three nationally ranked Polar Bear.
In singles this season, Gohl went 19-13 overall with a 9-9 record at #1 singles, a 10-4 record in tournaments, and an undefeated 5-0 record in the MIAC.
No. 29 Knutson faced No. 9 Emil Grantcharov of UChicago in singles. The junior battled and earned a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 upset victory over his top-ten ranked Maroon opponent to advance to the Round of 16. In the second round, Knutson battled No. 6 Alex Feies of Carnegie Mellon. The Gustie junior fell 6-1, 6-3 to the top-six ranked Tartan.
Knutson finished the year 23-10 overall in singles with a 6-5 tournament record and a 17-5 mark in duals, going 16-4 at #2 singles and 5-1 in the conference.
Up next for the Gusties is the national doubles quarterfinals. No. 12 Gohl and Haddorff will take on No. 6 Trey Lambright and Bryce Ware of Case Western Reserve in the Elite Eight on Sunday, May 24. The start time of the match is currently set for 12:00 p.m. CT for the outdoor courts, but may be delayed or moved indoors if the weather demands it.
