CLAREMONT, Calif. - The top-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team faced No. 2 Chicago for the second time this season, and for the second time prevailed in a tight 4-3 battle with Warren Pham providing the clinching point in singles (3-6, 6-3, 7-6). 

After adding a 7-0 win over Whitman on Saturday evening, CMS now stands at 16-2 on the season, and has been undefeated since dropping a pair of 4-3 decisions to Division II teams on opening day (Point Loma, Concordia), when the Stags didn't play their full lineup in either contest. Chicago is now 8-2, with both losses coming to CMS. 

The first time CMS and Chicago met this season was at the ITA Indoor Championships in February, in a rematch of last season's national championship, which the Maroons won 5-4. Pham was able to break the 3-3 tie with a three-set win in that one at No. 4, and this time did the same thing with a three-set win at No. 2. 

Pham trailed 5-3 in the second set, and fought off match points at deuce twice, with the second coming on a volley at 40-40 down 5-4 to get level at 5-5. Each player held serve, and Pham was able to win the tiebreaker 7-3, securing match point with a service winner. The win put CMS ahead 4-1, and the Maroons were able to get the final two points with three-set wins at No. 3 and No. 4 to make the final score 4-3. 

The doubles point had some drama as well. Pham and Matthew Robinson won a quick 6-0 decision at No. 3, but Chicago was able to get level with a 6-3 win at No. 2, as Caleb Settles and Brandon Vu battled back from 5-0 down to nearly get back on serve.

The doubles split brought it down to Advik Mareedu and Josh Kim at No. 1, who were serving for it up 5-4. The Maroons were able to get it to deuce, but Kim came through with a service ace on his second serve to provide the winning point in a 6-4 victory and put CMS ahead 1-0 heading into singles. 

The Stags were able to get two dominant wins to get it to 3-0, as Mareedu finishing off a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 1, just before Tarm Rojanasoonthon earned a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 5. The final point was the tough one to get, as the matches at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 all went deep into third sets, but Pham's comeback at No. 2 proved to be the difference. 

In the nightcap, CMS was able to complete the sweep with a 7-0 win over Whitman, as Caleb Settles, Brandon Vu, Anirudh Reddy, Rojanasoonthon, Morgan Schilling and Rohan Yarlagadda all won in singles and doubles. 

Rojanasoonthon played at the No. 1 singles line and earned a 6-2, 6-1 win. Settles picked up a 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 2, Yarlagadda was a 6-1, 6-1 winner at No. 3, Reddy was the first to finish with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4, Schilling had the clinch with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 5, and Vu capped off the match with a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 6. 

CMS will be back in action again on Friday to face Wisconsin-Whitewater.