Bristol, Tenn. – King University tennis split a Conference Carolinas home matchup against Shorter, as the men earned a 5-2 victory while the women were edged 4-3 in a tightly contested battle.
Men:
The King men capped off Senior Day with a strong 5-2 victory, using a dominant singles performance to secure the match. After earning the doubles point with a win at the No. 1 position from the duo of
Danny Neleman and
Lucas Machado, the Tornado carried momentum into singles play.
Neleman led the way at No. 1 singles with a commanding 6-2, 6-0 victory.
Bar Meshel followed with a straight-set win that included a tiebreak in the second set, while
Beckham Sylvester battled back from a set down to claim a three-set victory at No. 4.
Rohan Chalisgaonkar added another point before his opponent retired, and senior
Ben Jones closed out his home career in style with a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 6.
Shorter picked up its two points with a doubles win and a narrow three-set decision at No. 3 singles, but it wasn't enough as King secured the team victory.
Singles competition
- Danny Neleman (King) vs Carlos Tubio (Shorter) King: 2-0 (6-2, 6-0)
- Bar Meshel (King) vs Guido Loayza (Shorter) King: 2-0 (6-2, 7-6)
- Lucas Machado (King) vs Georgios Tsioumas (Shorter) Shorter: 2-1 (5-7, 7-6, 12-10)
- Beckham Sylvester (King) vs Kalle Johnson (Shorter) King: 2-1 (4-6, 6-3, 6-4)
- Rohan Chalisgaonkar (King) vs Baley Liu (Shorter) King: 1-0 (6-3, retired)
- Ben Jones (King) vs Kamron Palacios (Shorter) King: 2-0 (6-4, 6-4)
Doubles competition
- Neleman/Machado (King) vs Yap/Tubio (Shorter) King: 7-5
- Chalisgaonkar/Meshel (King) vs Tsioumas/Johnson (Shorter) Shorter: 6-3
- Kellner/Jones (King) vs Loayza/Liu (Shorter) Shorter: 7-6
Women:
The King women fought to the very end but came up just short in a 4-3 loss to Shorter on Senior Day. The Tornado dropped the doubles point, despite a strong win at the No. 3 position from the pair of
Rani Malhoe and
Sarah Hale.
In singles play, King earned three victories to keep the match close. Senior
Deniz Aytun delivered an impressive comeback at No. 1, rallying for a three-set win after dropping the opening set.
Trinity Moore also battled back after losing the first set to secure a three-set victory at No. 4, while
Ruth Robison added a straight-set win at No. 5.
Shorter ultimately secured the match with wins at No. 2, No. 3, and No. 6 singles to narrowly edge the Tornado.
Singles competition
- Deniz Aytun (King) vs Sharick Guiza (Shorter) King: 2-1 (4-6, 6-2, 6-1)
- Rani Malhoe (King) vs Sofia Arellano (Shorter) Shorter: 2-0 (6-1, 6-1)
- Shellby Tranchita (King) vs Lady Villanueva (Shorter) Shorter: 2-0 (6-1, 6-3)
- Trinity Moore (King) vs Laura Martin (Shorter) King: 2-1 (3-6, 6-0, 6-3)
- Ruth Robison (King) vs Danielle Hernandez (Shorter) King: 2-0 (6-2, 6-3)
- Sarah Hale (King) vs Caroline Johnson (Shorter) Shorter: 2-0 (6-3, 6-3)
Doubles competition
- Aytun/Tranchita (King) vs Guiza/Martin (Shorter) Shorter: 6-2
- Moore/Robison (King) vs Arellano/Villanueva (Shorter) Shorter: 7-6
- Tranchita/Hale (King) vs Johnson/Hernandez (Shorter) King: 6-3
Up Next: King concludes the 2026 season, honoring seniors
Ben Jones,
Deniz Aytun, and
Rani Malhoe for their contributions to the Tornado program.
