For the second consecutive season, the Emory University men's tennis team posted an overall record of 18-6 on its way to reaching the national quarterfinals for the 24th straight season.
With a loaded lineup from top-to-bottom, the Eagles made a return to the final site and were ranked among the nation's best for the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign. In addition to a quarterfinal berth, the season saw Emory capture its first ITA National Indoor Team title since 2019 and another third place finish at the UAA Championships.
The spring season got underway in February with the Eagles winning their first five matches in convincing fashion, including a 3-0 run in Tennessee where Emory won its 10th overall indoor national championship. After taking down Gustavus Adolphus and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the opening rounds, the Eagles were matched against fellow UAA foe WashU in the championship match. The title match proved to be no sweat for the Eagles as they took care of business against the Bears by a 4-0 count with Nolan Shah, Christian Liew and Justin Waldman coming through with clinching wins in singles.
Following the ITA Indoor title, the Eagles went 5-3 in the month of March including dramatic victories over Division III heavyweights in Denison and Amherst.
As the calendar flipped to April, the Eagles closed out the non-conference slate with a 4-1 record before heading to Florida for the UAA championships. Emory downed NYU in the opening round before being handed a set back in the semifinals against Case Western Reserve. The Eagles left Orlando on a high note however, getting the best of WashU once more with a 5-3 decision in the third place match.
When the NCAA tournament field was announced in the second week of May, the Eagles received an at-large bid and were headed to Lexington, Virginia for the opening rounds. Emory went a combined 10-2 across their first two matches against Stevens and Sewanee to capture another regional crown.
With a berth to St. Louis for the final rounds secured, next up for the Eagles was a match with Middlebury College in the Elite Eight. Emory looked destined for a return to the semifinals, leading 2-1 after doubles and 4-2 midway through singles on the strength of wins from Waldman and Liew. However, the Panthers showed tremendous grit to rally, upending the Eagles by a 5-4 margin to end the Emory season.
At the conclusion of the NCAA Championships, sophomore Dean Kamenev represented the Eagles in the singles tournament of the Individual Championships. Kamenev fell in the first round of the draw in straight sets to RPI's Aidan Drover-Mattinen.
Despite the loss, the second year for Kamenev was one of many highlights as he blossomed into a force at the top of the Emory lineup.
In the fall, Kamenev advanced to the finals at the ITA South in both singles and doubles, claiming the doubles title with Shah. A few weeks later, the doubles tandem advanced to the championship match in the Division III draw at the ITA Cup while Kamenev also reached the Division III championship match in singles.
For their efforts, Kamenev and Shah were named ITA All-Americans and were two of five Eagles to land spots on the All-UAA team.
Furthermore, Kamenev was recognized as a College Sport Communicator Academic All-America Second Team as well as the ITA South Region's Player to Watch. He was one of two players to earn regional acclaim as senior Ryan Glanville was tabbed as the South's Most Improved Player.
Shah joined Kamenev for academic excellence as he was one of 12 Eagles in the department to be honored as a member of the Emory 100 Senior Honorary.
The Eagles earned the following honors during the 2023-24 season:
