On a mild afternoon at the Magdalen College grass courts, the iPubs faced a formidable Oxford University side in what proved to be a tough encounter. The backdrop of Oxford’s skyline set the stage for a notable fixture between two great institutions.

Oxford started strongly, with their top pairing of Lorenzo Catini and Oliver Douglas combining sharp net play with clinical baseline hitting to overcome iPubs’ Miles Edmeston and Ross Martin 6–3, 6–0 in the opening rubber. The iPubs struggled to match the home side’s intensity, who asserted their dominance throughout.

In the second match, Oxford made a change to their lineup, with Lorenzo Catini now partnering Gabriel Correia. The new pairing maintained Oxford’s momentum, defeating Stuart Shannon and Davor Pavlovic 6–1, 6–3, despite some resilient serving and determined rallies from the iPubs side.

Miles Edmeston and Ross Martin returned to court for the third rubber, determined to make a statement. In a spirited performance, they edged out the first set in a tense tiebreak against Jacob Strabo and Brendan Emanuel. But Oxford responded with authority, dominating the second set and sealing the match in a decisive 10–4 match tiebreak.

The final rubber saw Shannon and Pavlovic back on court, hoping to salvage a point. In the most evenly contested match of the day, they pushed Strabo and Emanuel hard, with several games going to deuce and a tightly fought second-set tiebreak. However, Oxford’s consistency under pressure once again proved decisive, securing a 6–4, 7–6 victory to complete a deserved clean sweep.

While the final scoreline read 4–0 in Oxford’s favour, the result against a well-drilled university outfit on home turf provided the iPubs valuable match experience ahead to the rest of their summer campaign. A huge thank you to Brendan Emmanuel and the OULTC for hosting us - we look forward to returning in 2026!

Ben Rogers - Match Manager