MIDDLETOWN, CT. – Fighting to a 5-2 finish on Saturday morning, the Wesleyan men's tennis team defeated Bates College in NESCAC action, improving to 6-7 on the season as the team celebrated the Class of 2026 at the John Wood Memorial Courts.

Celebrating the four-man senior class, the Cardinals paid tribute to Max Litton, Chase Kasday, Tai MacDonald, and Harry Collomb and did so in excellence. Early efforts made by the Bobcats were short lived, the clinched doubles point rendered moot as the Cardinals roared back. Ryuto Saito '29 and Kasday won the lone doubles match as the No. 2 pair, defeating Eric Diop and Josh Maller, 6-2.

Saito returned in singles play, anchoring the No. 1 position against Phillippe Kosyagin with a 6-1, 6-4 victory. At No. 2, Brett Keeling '27 faced Diop as was forced to extra points as Diop was held to a 7-6, 7-5 defeat. Dropping just three points at No. 3, Chase Burke '29 defeated Theo Sardain in a 6-0, 6-3 match final.

Falling in at No. 5, Tommy Jani '29 returned a 6-2, 6-4 win over Nicolas Ozer. Litton ran three sets with James Sacco as the No. 6, winning set one before he was forced to a tiebreak as Sacco claimed set two. Litton's efforts finished in a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 win for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals return on Sunday, April 19, when they host No. 3 Tufts at 12 p.m.