Browne, Riddell Advance to ITA Semi-Finals

In the final event of the men's fall tennis season, Harvard is showing its strength at the ongoing ITA Region I Championships at Virginia Tech.

In third round doubles action, freshmen Ryan Browne and Mark Riddell advanced to the quarterfinals, upsetting Penn State's Jamie Gresh and Roddy Cantey in an eight-game pro set

format, 8-4. The freshmen duo is Harvard's best doubles combination and came into the tournament as the No. 11 seed. Gresh and Cantey were seeded No. 7.

Browne and Riddell began the tournament with a bye in the first round. The two newcomers established themselves as Harvard's best doubles team during the autumn season.

However, they ran into trouble in second round action, fighting off a gritty Lehigh team, 9-7. Though the win got the hearts of Browne and Riddell pumping faster, the victory may have also calmed the team for Penn State. The 8-4 victory over the Nittany Lions was more convincing and less strenuous.

In singles action, sophomore Oliver Choo and freshman Cliff Nguyen scored major third round upsets, but neither could keep their magic going in the quarterfinals. Choo, unseeded, outlasted No. 4 Oscar Chow of Columbia in a three-hour, back-and-forth war, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3), but lost in round four to Penn State's Gresh, 6-4, 6-3.

Nguyen, the No. 20 seed, defeated No. 12 Trevor Smith of Princeton in another seesaw third round battle, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. The freshmen almost kept it going against third-seeded Eric Sharf of St. John's in the quarters. Unfortunately, Nguyen had only so much energy. Sharf emerged victorious in the third set, winning 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. Nguyen opened the tournament with a first-round bye and won his second round match, 6-3, 6-3, over Georgetown's Nick Sklavounos.

The tournament is set up to be a single-elimination event. However, there is a consolation bracket for all those who lose in the first two days of competition. Freshman George Turner has taken advantage of the backdraw. Dropping his first match to Yale's Andrew Rosenfeld, 6-2, 6-2, Turner has won four consecutive matches and eight straight sets. He continues his quest toward victory tomorrow in the final day of tournament action.

Understanding that he would be eliminated with one more loss, Turner won two straight-set matches on Friday, defeating Brown's Alex Walden 6-4, 6-4 and Marist's Michael Sawter, 6-4, 6-0. Turner carried his momentum to Saturday, winning two more matches while dropping a combined 10 games in four sets. He defeated Columbia's Pavel Jefferson, 6-3, 6-1, avenging an earlier loss this season. Turner's 6-2, 6-4 victory over Rutgers' Kevin Bielen proved he is currently on top of his game.

Co-captain Anthony Barker also competed in the 96-man singles draw. Barker received a first-round bye but lost to Eli No. 13 Steve Berke, 4-6, 6-0, 6-4.

Browne and Riddell also played singles, and each fared well. After receiving first round byes, Browne won his second round match, 6-1, 6-4 before losing to Yale's Greg Royce, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Riddell struggled valiantly before dropping a 6-3, 7-6 (3) to Reading native Jamie Cerretani, who is a freshman at Brown.

The tournament will conclude tomorrow afternoon, and with it, the fall campaign for a men's tennis team that has a bright future.