The top-ranked men’s tennis team was eagerly looking forward to defending its national title before seeing the year come to an end in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finishing with a dual record of 6-0.  The Eagles opened the spring portion of their schedule with a win at home before venturing to St. Peter, Minnesota, where it captured the ITA National Indoor Championship, topping host Gustavus Adolphus in the quarterfinals before besting No. 8-ranked Brandeis (5-4) and No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5-3) in the semis and finals, respectively, with senior Rex Serituk coming through with the clinching point in those two matches.  Serituk ended 2019-20 with an overall singles mark of 9-2.  It marked the ninth time in the 20-year history of the Indoor Championships that Emory had brought home the crown.

Individually, sophomore Antonio Mora earned All-America honors in both singles and doubles.  Mora secured his All-America certificate in singles after winning the ITA South Region Championships, defeating Andres Carro of Sewanee in the semifinals and teammate Andrew Esses in the title match, both by 6-3, 6-1 scores. Closing out the year as the No. 4-ranked singles player in Division III, Mora compiled an overall record of 13-3 including a 6-0 effort at No. 2 in the spring. 

Junior Hayden Cassone garnered his third All-America honor after drawing a No. 18 ITA singles ranking.  Cassone sat out the fall portion of the schedule rehabbing an injury before returning to the lineup in the spring where he registered a won-lost mark of 4-2 at the No. 1 position.

Junior Will Wanner brought home his second All-America award in doubles after he and Mora teamed up in the fall to win the title at the ITA South Region Championships.  Wanner and Mora also won their opening two matches at the ITA Cup with the pair advancing to the semifinals in that competition. Wanner ended the campaign with a 12-4 record in doubles.

Both Mora and Cassone were tabbed for All-University Association honors, as were Esses, Serituk and senior Hassan Kenawi.  Mora earned his berth at No. 2 singles and nabbed an all-league nod with Cassone at first doubles.  Esses was selected at No. 3 singles and joined forces with Kenawi at third doubles, with the duo notching a 6-0 record.   Esses posted an overall slate of 12-4 in singles (5-1 at No. 3), and competed at the ITA Cup where he won a pair of matches.  He closed out the campaign as the 30th-ranked D-III singles player in the country.  Kenawi, who had been hampered earlier in his career by injuries was in the process of having a solid senior season before it seeing it cut short, compiling an overall singles ledger of 7-3 and a doubles mark of 8-2.

Honors and Awards