Harvard University Team Page
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Harvard men's tennis team showed off its depth Friday, as the Crimson rode victories at the final three singles positions to a 4-2 win over Ivy League rival Yale in the first round of the ECAC Men's Indoor Tennis Championship. Harvard is the No. 1 seeded team in the eight-team bracket.
The Crimson doubles teams were in full control to start the day, helping Harvard to yet another doubles point. The second team of Andy Nguyen and Nicky Hu posted an 8-5 victory over John Huang and Patrick Chase and Alex Steinroeder and Shaun Chaudhuri matched the second court's score at No. 3 with an 8-5 win of their own, clinching the first point of the match.
Casey MacMaster got the ball rolling for Harvard in singles action, polishing off the Bulldogs' Zachary Dean in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2 on the sixth court. Hu was close behind with a straight-set victory of his own, putting Harvard up 3-0 in the match with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Martin Svenning at fifth singles.
Yale showed it still had some fight left, as it claimed the next two matches, pushing the overall score to 3-2. Marc Powers got the better of Chaudhuri at second singles, outlasting the sophomore in a three setter, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1. Daniel Hoffman did the same to Steinroeder at No. 3, collecting a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win. Harvard's senior captain Andy Nguyen finished off the match in dramatic fashion, earning a win in the third-set tiebreaker to clinch a 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (8) final, and the 4-2 win for the Crimson.
Up next for Harvard is host school Cornell. The Crimson and Big Red will hit the courts Saturday in a 6 p.m., start time.
Harvard 4, Yale 2
Doubles
No. 1 D. Nguyen/MacMaster, Harvard def. Powers/Hoffman, Yale: 4-6 (DNF)
No. 2 A. Nguyen/Hu, Harvard def. Huang/Chase, Yale: 8-5
No. 3 Steinroeder/Chaudhuri, Harvard def. Dean/Saiontz, Yale: 8-5
Singles
No. 1 D. Nguyen, Harvard def. Huang, Yale: 6-3, 3-6, 3-2 (DNF)
No. 2 Powers, Yale def. Chaudhuri, Harvard: 6-7 (6) 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 Hoffman, Yale def Steinroeder, Harvard: 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
No. 4 A. Nguyen, Harvard vs Brown, Yale: 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (8)
No. 5 Hu, Harvard def. Fife, Svenning: 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 MacMaster, Harvard def. Dean, Yale: 6-2, 6-2
