Men's Tennis Splits Squad To Compete in Ivy Plus Tournament, Connecticut State Championships

With the beginning of Ivy League play and the main spring season still several months away, spectators who are following the Harvard men’s tennis team might come to wonder why the team has such a busy schedule this fall.

The reason, however, is clear to Harvard coach Dave Fish ’72.

“This [time of year] is critical for these guys to define what their game style is,” Fish said. “It’s like a hockey team understanding what its power play is like.”

So to help his players discover their “power play,” Fish sent them to two separate tournaments this past weekend.

Of the 13 on the roster, four were at Yale for the Connecticut State Championships, while seven made the trip down to Princeton for the Ivy Plus Tournament. Two other players, junior Sebastian Beltrame and sophomore Kenny Tao, were sidelined with minor injures, but should be back on the court as early as next week, according to Fish.

The players who did suit up had a successful weekend. Senior Kelvin Lam turned his hard work during the offseason into immediate results, showing his growth as a singles player at the Ivy Plus Tournament. Despite a loss earlier in the weekend, he looked at the top of his game on Sunday as he battled Anthony Arocho from Brown late in the consolation bracket.

Another player who made a ripple in the tournament was freshman Andy Zhou. Despite having played competitive college tennis for only two weeks, Zhou took down highly-ranked Kial Kaiser from Princeton in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0, and advanced deep into his bracket. Fish praised Zhou’s performance, pointing out that his “firepower” and “instinct” in particular will be welcome additions to the team.

Sophomores Jean Thirouin, who celebrated his birthday in Princeton during the tournament, and Grant Solomon, also put in commendable performances.

Junior Brian Yeung was upbeat about the chance to face tough competition so early in the fall, noting that “most of the best players from the Ivy League schools, and from a few others from around the country,” were in the draw.

The level of competition speaks to the growth of the Ivy Plus Tournament itself, which just started in 2013. This year’s edition, however, attracted schools as far from the Northeast as Indiana, Tennessee, and Miami (Fla.). Overall, 128 players were in the draw from the 23 schools in attendance. The tournament had eight brackets, composed of 16 players each, and games took place from Friday through Sunday.

Meanwhile, a few hours north in New Haven, Conn., matches were also taking place all weekend at the Connecticut State Championships. In an event that has historically only included players from Connecticut, Marist and Harvard received and accepted invitations this year. Eight schools overall made up the field at this tournament, which was more of a regional affair.

Assistant Head Coach Andrew Ruebb ’95 brought four players from Harvard to Yale, including three freshmen who are still adjusting to the level of the college game.

Next weekend, the whole team will be back together for a trip to College Station, Texas, for a large, national tournament on the campus of Texas A&M.