Injuries Don’t Slow M. Tennis

Despite the absence of several top players due to injury, the Harvard men’s tennis team fueled its promising season in the Harvard Fall Invitational last weekend. The Crimson used its depth to produce 27 victories—the most of the seven competing teams—over the course of the three-day tournament.

Especially impressive were juniors Mark Riddell and George Turner, both of whom went undefeated in singles and doubles competition.

Reuslts aside, the entire team benefited from competing against the formidable field, which included teams from powerhouses Alabama and Notre Dame, as well as ECAC rival Brown.

“I think we got a little more match toughness,” junior Cliff Nguyen said. “It was an eye opening experience of what goals we need to work on.”

Associate Coach Peter Mandeau delineated such goals in urging his players to consider the mental aspects of their games.

“I wanted the guys to treat every match the same,” Mandeau said. “There are no big matches or easy matches or hard matches. [They should] just try to focus on the things they know they do well and try to build up to a level you want to be playing,”

The teams level of play was consistently high, especially against No. 14 Notre Dame. Crimson singles and doubles combined for an overall 8-2 record against the Fighting Irish.

The Invitational featured a unique “hidden dual” format that did not track team head-to-head scores. Instead, results in singles and doubles matches were kept for the sake of individual ITA rankings. This format allowed teams to experiment with various lineups as they try to solidify their lineups for the upcoming dual competition season.

True to the aim of the event, Harvard stepped onto the court with a different lineup each day. However, some of the changes were not premeditated.

Co-captain Oliver Choo pulled an upper hamstring during his singles match on Friday, while junior Cliff Nguyen suffered a pulled pectoral muscle during his match the following day.

Co-captain David Lingman and junior Chris Chiou also sat out with shoulder and hamstring problems, respectively.

These injuries catalyzed the rotation of players such as Turner, sophomore Jason Beren and junior transfer Jordan Bohnen, all of whom shuffled throughout the singles lineup.

Turner rose to the occasion with a three-set victory against his Notre Dame opponent at the third singles position while filling in for Nguyen. He attributed his stellar performance during the tournament to his mental approach.

“It’s just having the attitude that, win or lose, I just go for my shots,” Turner said.

Similarly, Riddell’s mental fortitude has led to an improved second serve, which he used to boost his power game. His timely service winners propelled him past his Alabama opponent in the deciding tiebreaker.

“I have a lot of confidence in my second serves,” Riddell said. “It gives me more freedom on the first serve.”

Riddell posted an undefeated weekend at No. 2 singles and at No. 1 doubles, where he teamed with sophomore Jonathan Chu, the 2001 Ivy Rookie of the Year.

A total of seven teams participated in the Invitational. Also competing were squads from Princeton, Rutgers and UNLV.

The tournament provided valuable match experience before next week’s ECAC Championships in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. The event is the first team competition of the fall season and will pit Harvard against potent squads from Brown and Virginia Tech.

One key for success in the fall’s most important tournament is naturally the Crimson’s health. The team looks to build on its recent success with the return of Lingman, Chiou, Choo and Nguyen in time for ECACs.

—Contributing writer Yiwey Shieh can be reached by email at yshieh@fas.harvard.edu.