Men's Tennis Dominates Two Nonconference Foes

The Harvard men’s tennis team returned home this weekend to wrap up nonconference play before kicking off its Ivy League schedule next week against Cornell and Columbia.

The No. 33 Crimson (14-5) defeated Buffalo (8-7), 6-1, early Saturday morning, and followed up with a 7-0 sweep of defending NCAA Division III national champion Amherst (9-4).

“Against teams like this it is easy to come out expecting the other team to bow down to you, but we did a great job today of hitting them hard at the beginning with our energy,” junior Nicky Hu said. “We battled hard and took nothing for granted.  We are a good team that has yet to play our best, so I'm excited to see how we do in the matches ahead.”

HARVARD 7, AMHERST 0

Despite a new-look lineup, exclusively featuring all underclassmen at the singles spots, Harvard had little trouble upending the visiting Jeffs, who faced their first and only Division I opponent of the 2014-2015 season.

Sophomore Brian Yeung, who competed at the first singles spot, was the only player for the Crimson to take his match to a third set. Yeung blazed through the first set, earning the set by a score of 6-1. Amherst’s Andrew Yaraghi matched the sophomore’s first set effort by taking the second by the same score.

The sophomore, who was visibly frustrated with his second set performance, stormed back for the Crimson to win the night’s closest match, taking the third set, 13-11.

“We didn’t know what to expect coming in against Amherst,” Yeung said. “All of my teammates did well in closing out their opponents in the second set. We did well in keeping a high intensity and positive mindset.”

Freshman Kenny Tao handled Amherst’s Michael Solimano in straight sets at second singles. The win capped off a seamless day for the freshman, who was victorious in the first doubles match alongside Yeung, 6-1.

Sophomore Andrew Ball only gave up one game en route to his straight-set victory at fifth singles. All four freshmen on the team’s roster won their singles matches in straight sets, including victories from Grant Solomon, Jean Thirouin, and Xavier Gonzales, at third, fourth, and sixth singles, respectively.

The doubles team of senior Shaun Chaudhuri and Ball were victorious at second doubles, by a score of 6-4. Third doubles saw junior Conor Haughey alongside Thirouin defeat Amherst’s Jon Cypers and Russell Einbender by the same score.

“[Amherst is] one of the best Division III teams in the country,” Harvard coach Dave Fish ’72 said.  “You get a chance to see your whole squad in action. That was really good because the guys who don’t get to start as much work just as hard as the guys who do start.”

HARVARD 6, BUFFALO 1

Co-captain Denis Nguyen led the Crimson against the visiting Bulls, capturing the first singles victory in straight sets as well as the first doubles match alongside Yeung. Nguyen claimed the first set in the singles match, 6-4, and had less trouble in the second set, closing out Buffalo’s Damien David, 6-1.

Fellow co-captain Alex Steinroeder was the only Crimson player to need three sets to earn a victory, defeating Buffalo’s Jonathan Hannestad at fourth singles. A combination of experience and youth proved successful in the third doubles match, as Steinroeder paired up with Tao to earn a 6-3 win, helping to pick up the doubles point for Harvard.

Junior Nicky Hu, Chaudhuri, and Solomon earned straight set victories in third, fifth, and sixth singles, respectively. The lone loss for the Crimson came at second singles, as sophomore Sebastian Beltrame could not overcome Buffalo’s Pablo Alvarez, dropping straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.

“It never hurts to have a match that you execute well in,” Fish said. “The guys all deserve a pat on the back, but we cannot be satisfied, especially with the Ivies ahead.”