The New York University men's tennis team won a narrow 4–3 decision over Carnegie Mellon University on Friday, April 25, in Altamote Springs, FL, in the first round of the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship.

The Violets came into the eight-team tournament as the #5 seed, while the Tartans were seeded #4.

The match was tied 3-3, with only the No. 3 contest still undecided. NYU's Jingyuan Chen battled back to win the match 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, providing victory for the Violets.  

"The match came down to Jingyuan, who was down a set and a break, and even down a break in the third," explained Head Coach Horace Choy. "But, he dug deep and found a way. This team has shown its fight all year, and this result only highlights that."

The Violets opened the day with strong play in doubles, securing the point with wins at the top two spots. Chen and Louis Frowein dominated at No. 2 doubles, winning 6–1, while Boren Zheng and Philip Martin sealed the point with a 7–5 victory at No. 1.

In singles, Bryan Hui quickly added a second point for NYU with a commanding 6–0, 6–3 win at No. 4. Martin followed with a straight-sets victory at No. 2, 6–2, 7–5, giving the Violets a 3–1 lead.

But, Carnegie Mellon mounted a comeback, claiming the following three matches as Frowein fell at No. 5 (6–4, 6–1), Ryan Shayani was defeated at No. 6 (7–5, 6–1), and at No. 1, Zheng took the first set but ultimately fell in three, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2, evening the match at 3–3. 

However, Chen's victory put NYU over the top.

"Very proud of our guys," Choy said. "Not only for the result, but for the way they competed throughout the match. Phil and Boren were down early in doubles and came back from 4–5 to win the next three games. Alex and Bryan were down 5–2 at No. 3 and got it to a tiebreak. Just an overall gutsy performance by our players." 

The Violets continue their UAA Championship campaign tomorrow when they face top-seeded University of Chicago at 12:30 p.m.