Green & Shah Advance to NCAA Tennis Doubles Championship Match

CHATTANOOGA, TN – With a spot in the national championship on the line, Denison seniors Ethan Green (Salt Lake City, UT/Skyline) and Kael Shah (Nairobi, Kenya/ES American School Barcelona (Spain)) delivered in commanding fashion to represent the North Coast Athletic Conference at the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Doubles Championship.

The No. 3-ranked Big Red duo continued their standout postseason run with an impressive 6-3, 6-3 semifinal victory over Emory’s No. 7-ranked tandem of Ruilin Feng and Ajay Kartik.

With the semifinal win, Green and Shah advance to the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Doubles National Championship match, where they will face Gustavus Adolphus’ No. 12-ranked tandem of Gage Gohl and Tyler Haddorff on Tuesday, May 26, at 10:00 a.m.

The championship appearance marks the latest chapter in a remarkable NCAA tournament journey for the Denison seniors. After falling in the national semifinals in 2024 to the very same Gustavus Adolphus duo they will now face for the title, Green and Shah returned to the NCAA Championships in 2025 but were eliminated in the quarterfinal round.
 
Sunday, May 24

Green & Shah Advance to NCAA Men’s Tennis Doubles Semifinals

CHATTANOOGA, TN --  On Sunday, May 24, Denison senior Kael Shah (Nairobi, Kenyon/ES American School Barcelona (Spain)) represented the North Coast Athletic Conference in the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Singles Championships, while Shah and classmate Ethan Green (Salt Lake City, UT/Skyline) competed in the Doubles Championships.
 
In doubles play, Denison’s No. 3-ranked tandem of Green and Shah collected a 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 win over No. 15-ranked MJ Abarca and Vitomir Petcov from Redlands. Green and Shah now advance into the doubles semifinals which will take place on Monday, May 25, at 10:00 a.m. The Big Red pair will take on Emory’s No. 7-ranked Ruilin Feng and Ajay Kartik.
 
Earlier in the men's singles action, No. 5-ranked Shah and No. 2-ranked Michael Melnikov from Swarthmore battled in the quarterfinal round. The pair split sets before Shah ultimately fell, 6-4, 2-6, 4-6.
 
Saturday, May 23

Green & Shah Advance to NCAA Men’s Tennis Individual Quarterfinals

CHATTANOOGA, TN -- On Saturday, May 23, Denison seniors Ethan Green (Salt Lake City, UT/Skyline) and Kael Shah (Nairobi, Kenyon/ES American School Barcelona (Spain)) and Kenyon junior Alejandro Gonzalez (Monterrey, Mexico/Citizens) and first-year Maximo Llamas Castellanos (Guadalupe, Mexico/Prepa Tec Valle Alto) represented the North Coast Athletic Conference in the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Singles Championships, while Denison’s Green and Shah and Llamas Castellanos and sophomore Juozas Cioladis (Kildare, Ireland/McCallie School) competed in the Doubles Championships.
 
No. 5-ranked Shah saw great success in singles action as he collected a 6-3, 6-3 win over Bowdoin’s No. 18-ranked Kiran Garapati to advance into the second round. Shah, who earned All-America honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) with the first round win, took on No. 12-ranked Drew Goldman from Pomona-Pitzer in the second round. The pair split sets with Goldman winning 6-4 and then Shah collecting a 6-2 win before Goldman retired. Shah will now compete in the quarterfinal round and is set to face No. 2-ranked Michael Melnikov from Swarthmore. The men's round of eight will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 24.
 
In other singles action, No. 46-ranked Gonzalez dropped a 6-1, 6-2 matchup to Wisconsin-Whitewater’s No. 47-ranked Theo Billson, while No. 13-ranked Green fell 6-4, 6-4 to No. 14-ranked Gage Gohl from Gustavus Adolphus and No. 20-ranked Llamas Castellanos lost a hard-fought three-set matchup with  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’ No. 1-ranked Advik Mareedu a 6-4, 6-7 (7-5), 5-7.
 
Later in the day in doubles play, Denison’s No. 3-ranked tandem of Green and Shah collected a 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-4) win over No. 23-ranked Utham Koduri and Melnikov from Swarthmore, while Kenyon’s No. 25-ranked Llamas Castellanos and sophomore Juozas Cioladis (Kildare, Ireland/McCallie School) fell 2-6, 6-2, 6-7 (4-7) to No. 1-ranked Caleb Settles and Mareedu of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. With the doubles win, Green and Shah will take on No. 15-ranked MJ Abarca and Vitomir Petcov from Redlands at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 24.

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