Release courtesy of Swarthmore Athletic Communications

CLAREMONT, Calif. – Swarthmore College's Michael Melnikov and Utham Koduri began play at the NCAA Men's Tennis Individual Championships on Friday.
 
The duo won their opening doubles match in the Round of 16 to earn All-America honors for the third year in a row. Melnikov also grabbed his third consecutive All-America accolade in singles, advancing to the Round of 16 before bowing out of the tournament.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Melnikov opened the day with singles action in the Round of 32, entering the tourney as the fourth seed. He faced a tough opponent in Colin Scruggs from Washington University in St. Louis who is ranked 18^th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Scruggs put Melnikov in an early hole with a 6-4 victory in the opening set. However, Melnikov battled back and pulled out a close second stanza, 7-5, to take the match the distance. The junior then dug deep and came out on top in the decisive frame, 6-3, to advance to the final 16 for the third time in his career.
 
- In the Round of 16, Melnikov took on a player from Bowdoin College for the second straight year. The Polar Bears' representative, Mark Kneiss, is just one spot behind Melnikov in the ITA rankings at No. 10. Kneiss proved to be too much for Melnikov after the latter's intense opening match, defeating the Garnet's top player, 6-4, 6-3. Melnikov finished the season with a 24-6 singles record.
 
- Melnikov and Koduri began their doubles run to close a busy day one. The pair took on a team from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Round of 16. The Swarthmore duo rolled to a 6-2 win in the opening set. The Warhawks provided more of a challenge in the second frame but Melnikov and Koduri still came away with a 6-4 victory to reach the national quarterfinals for the second time in three years.
 
UP NEXT
Melnikov and Koduri will battle a team from Pomona-Pitzer in the quarterfinals on Saturday.