The Men’s Tennis Blues beat Warwick University 8-4 in their last BUCS league match of 2011 to stay top of the Midlands 1a division over Christmas.

Warwick travelled to Cambridge off the back of a draw against a strong Coventry side and a 12-0 thrashing of the University of Birmingham, so the Blues knew that they would need to be on their toes from the outset.

In the opening doubles, Cameron Johnston and Charlie Cohen started strongly against a talented Warwick pair. They quickly found their range to overturn a 3-2 deficit and, whipping groundstrokes to their opponent’s feet, they broke at 4-3 to take the first set. 

After breaking immediately in the second set Johnston spooned a series of volleys long in game two, handing the initiative back to Warwick. The momentum shifted towards the Midlands pair, who won four games on the bounce, and a solitary hold was not enough to rescue the set. In the deciding super tie-break, Johnston leaked a double fault at a crucial moment and the match slipped away.

On the adjoining court, Jamie Muirhead and Sam Ashcroft combined well and both players relished the opportunity to cross at the net and skewer their opponents with incisive volleys. Muirhead’s explosive backhand returns and Ashcroft’s quiet determination allowed the Cambridge pair to raise their level at 4-4 in both sets, break, and serve out for victory. 

Two matches played then and there was still nothing to separate the two teams. Cambridge would have to win three of the four remaining singles to take the coveted Christmas number one spot.

Johnston faced a former Oxford number one in Mark Baghdadi. Mindful of Cambridge stalwart Rutger-Jan Lange’s warning that Baghdadi feeds off pace, Johnston was careful not to attack with reckless abandon, but chose to roll his groundstrokes into his opponent’s temperamental forehand. Baghdadi duly spewed errors and Johnston sliced his serves out wide to his opponent’s forehand on the key points to record a routine 6-3 6-4 victory.

Cypriot Constantine Markides struggled to impose himself at number two against a strong, aggressive opponent whose unorthodox forehand technique didn’t prevent winners flying off his strings. 

Markides tried to step into the court, flatten out his forehand and dictate play but Sagar invariably weaseled his way back into the point with some impressive retrieving. The match went to Sagar 6-2 6-2.

Jersey’s Charlie Cohen, sporting the hairstyle of an Argentinian football player, yanked his American opponent this way and that with his heavy, top-spin forehands and after maneuvering him out of position, finished many points off at the net with a simple angled volley or booming smash. He kept his concentration to take the match 7-5 7-5.

Cambridge were now 6-4 up and the fate of the tie rested on the narrow shoulders of Fitzwilliam’s Jamie Muirhead. At one set all, he quickly changed direction and rolled his ankle but, with no painkillers to hand, he had to grin and bear it. Some monstrous serves, line disputes and fist-pumps got the adrenaline flowing and Muirhead was suddenly flying. Break after break soon fell Muirhead’s way and he served out to love at 5-2 in the final set to take the match and the tie.

The Tennis Blues now greet the New Year at least three points ahead of the chasing pack.