Men's Tennis Picks Up Two Wins in Spring Opener

For the fourth time in five years, the Harvard men’s tennis team started off its spring schedule with a win. And for the second season in a row, it came at the expense of William & Mary.

The Crimson wasn’t finished for the day after defeating the Tribe, however, and dispatched Boston College in another dual match several hours later. The second win capped a solid return to action for Harvard at the Murr Tennis Center, where it hadn’t played a competitive match since early October.

With the 4-3 triumph over William & Mary (1-1) and 6-1 victory over its crosstown rival Eagles (0-2), the Crimson (2-0) started its spring slate off strong.

“These two matchups were great ones to start the year with,” Harvard sophomore Grant Solomon said. “They were tough opponents, and it was good to see where we’re at before we go up against even tougher competition the next few weeks.”

HARVARD 6, BOSTON COLLEGE 1

The Crimson started fast in its late afternoon match against the Eagles, taking the doubles point with a close 2-1 win.

Despite not calling upon any of his three nationally ranked doubles teams, Harvard coach Dave Fish ’72 found winning combinations by pairing senior Nicky Hu with sophomore Kenny Tao and senior Conor Haughey with classmate Kelvin Lam. Hu and Tao won their set 6-4, while Haughey and Lam won theirs, 7-5.

“At this point in the season, rankings don’t really mean much,” Fish said. “We wanted to give some seniors who don’t have a lot of experience playing doubles the chance to compete, and they responded really well.”

The third Crimson doubles team, made up of freshman Michael Peters and sophomore Jean Thirouin, did not find the same success despite facing fellow underclassmen from Boston College, sophomores Jeffrey Melvin and Kent Mukai. Melvin and Mukai won the set, 6-2.

In singles, Harvard found wins easier to come by, and quickly clinched a victory in the overall proceedings by reeling off five straight-sets wins.

Freshman Andy Zhou eased by Eagles No. 1 Hank Workman, 6-3, 6-1. Zhou was able to earn the win on his first official day of collegiate tennis, overcoming Workman and his two years of experience as a starter.

Meanwhile, Haughey and Lam showed no signs of fatigue from their doubles match, doing their part to clinch the overall victory for the Crimson. Their straight-sets wins gave the team a 4-0 lead on the day, ending hopes of a Boston College comeback.

HARVARD 4, WILLIAM & MARY 3

Earlier in the afternoon, the Crimson was able to take the doubles point from the Tribe as well, setting the stage for a similarly quick win.

Against William & Mary, Fish sent up two of his three ranked doubles teams. Hu and Tao were key to Harvard’s success just as against Boston College, though they had different partners.

Hu and junior Brian Yeung, forming the No. 44 doubles team in the country, dispatched their opponents, 6-2. Tao and junior Sebastian Beltrame, the No. 32 pairing nationally, also won their set, 6-3.

Zhou and Haughey, however, could not overcome Tribe sophomores Christian Cargill and Alec Miller, who came away with the 6-3 win.

“We’re cautiously optimistic that we’ll be able to count on our doubles more this year,” Fish said. “We had a great start yesterday, so we’ll be looking to build on that.”

The Crimson and Tribe split their singles matches, 3-3, but by virtue of Harvard winning its games in straight-sets and William & Mary winning its games in three sets, the Crimson clinched victory in the overall dual match before the Tribe could respond.

Strong performances by Beltrame, Tao, and Zhou, playing at the No. 2, 3, and 4 spots respectively, put Harvard up 4-0. Though Hu, Lam, and Thirouin fought their opponents to three sets, none of them were able to pull out victories.

“Once Andy won his match, the mentality changed for the players still on the court,” Solomon said. “That’s something that unfortunately happens, and we’ll work on it.”

—Staff writer George Hu can be reached at george.hu@thecrimson.com