I’m quite pleased that each of these teams put on an impressive display yesterday because it’s starting to look like other than Wash U and Chicago, the central region is down. The Bears swept Kenyon while the Maroons defeated Pomona-Pitzer 7-2. Yet, despite their big victories, both teams had some rocky spots. As we know, Kenyon isn’t off to the hottest start, so I guess I expected a little more from Wash U in singles. It’s a stretch to be upset about a 9-0 win, but most singles matches were tighter than I thought they would have been. For Chicago, depth has typically served them well, but they lost in superbreakers at both #5 and #6 singles today. Enough about the negatives, though. Let’s enjoy the victories by previewing today’s semifinal.
Since I have a bunch of these to write, I won’t be going match by match, but here is how each team can win. For Wash U, it starts at #1 doubles. I’ve said time and time again that Konrad Kozlowski and Jason Haugen are beasts, and they showed it today with an 8-1 win. Frankly, out of both singles and doubles, this is their strongest spot. The other Wash U dubs spots seem to also be performing well, and I think they need to win at #3 as well. A 2-1 lead puts Wash U in a good position, but Chicago appears to be stronger in singles. If Wash U has a lead, I think they look for wins at 5 from Bernardo Neves and 6 from Robin Engel (again, Chicago lost at 5 and 6 today). Finally, John Carswell at 3 is quite good.
The Maroons should be relying heavily on the middle of the lineup. Hawkins/Raclin have had an incredible year at #2 doubles, and Chicago’s 2-4 singles have been just as impressive. Today, David Liu beat Jake Yasgoor in straights at #1, and I think he will have the ability to clinch.
Expect a great match, and I cautiously predict a 6-3 Chicago win.
Other predictions
AS: Chicago 7-2
D3Central: 6-3
Guru: Chicago 5-4
NE: Chicago 6-3