NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Playing in their sixth straight match decided by just one point, the Christopher Newport men's tennis team pulled out a 4-3 win over No. 28 Wesleyan University (3-2) on Thursday afternoon behind a monumental comeback from senior team captain Ashton Legum. The Captains improved to 7-3 overall this season with the win which featured four wins in singles play. 

The Captains have dropped just three matches this spring and all but 4-3 decisions to nationally-ranked competition. Facing a ranked opponent for the sixth straight match, Christopher Newport continues to prove it belongs among the nation's elite in 2024-25 with another tightly contested match.

Playing at home on the Eyre Courts, the Captains rebounded from losing all three doubles matches by racing ahead in singles, 3-1. The Cardinals roared back to tie the match at three points apiece, leaving it to be settled by a pair of veterans on the final court at No. 4 in CNU senior Ashton Legum and Wesleyan junior Tai MacDonald. 

The match was a battle from the opening set with MacDonald earning a narrow first-set victory in a tiebreak, 7-6 (7-5). Legum rebounded with a 6-3 win in the second set to force a decisive third set for the match. With both teams looking on, it was MacDonald that looked in control of the breaker taking a 5-1 lead, but Legum calmly responded with a dominant come-from-behind effort. Once he evened the score, Legum finished off the win, 9-7, in the tiebreaker, winning by a final score of 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 7-6 (9-7). 

Legum remained unbeaten in four matches at No. 4 this Spring and capped an impressive nationally-ranked showdown with the Cardinals. 

Setting up the epic finish, Wesleyan narrowly edged the Captains in all three doubles bouts. CNU lost by a pair of 7-6 scores at 1 and 3 while dropping a 7-5 decision at No. 2. Undeterred, the singles action leaned heavily in favor of CNU in the early going. Vincent Truong disposed of his opponent on the top line, Harry Collomb, with a 6-2, 6-2 win. Rookie Rainer Christiansen wrapped up his match just minutes later with a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 5 against Brett Keeling. Rounding out an early surge of CNU winners was Ryan Monroe, capturing a 6-4, 6-2 win over Max Litton at No. 3 and staking the Captains to a 3-1 lead. 

Wesleyan secured wins at No. 2 and No. 6 despite Nesh Kumaresan forcing an extra game in both sets and Edvard Porsmyr Hansen winning the second set at No. 6. With the match tied, Legum took care of the rest. 

Christopher Newport will continue its string of nationally-ranked opponents on Saturday as No. 16 Kenyon College will take on the Captains at 2:00 p.m.