Harvard clinched its second straight outright league title Saturday.
Harvard University Team Page
HANOVER, N.H. – After absorbing its first Ivy League loss of the season Friday against Brown, the No. 21 Harvard men's tennis team responded emphatically with a dominating 6-1 win over Dartmouth Saturday afternoon. The win seals Harvard's second straight outright Ivy League title and propels the Crimson to its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
The doubles teams were in control early for the Crimson, and a trio of victories secured the first point of the match. The third team of Kelvin Lam and Alex Steinroeder breezed to an 8-2 victory, besting Chris Kipouras and Mike Jacobs. Denis Nguyen and Casey MacMaster returned to their winning ways on the first court, downing Xander Centenari and Brandon DeBot, 8-4, and Nicky Hu and Andy Nguyen followed suit on the second court with an 8-4 win of their own.
Harvard's top three singles players took care of business in straight sets, led by Shaun Chaudhuri who disposed of Kipouras, 6-1, 6-2 at second singles. Andy Nguyen was close behind on the third court with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Cameron Ghorbani, and Denis Nguyen also logged a straight-set win at No. 1 with a 6-2, 6-4 final.
Nicky Hu secured the fifth court with a gutsy 7-5, 7-5 win over Justin Chan, and Steinroeder overcame a dropped first set, downing DeBot 6-7(2), 6-2, 10-3, for Harvard's fifth singles win of the day. MacMaster was just through the first set when he retired, giving the Big Green its lone point of the day.
Harvard's next action will be in the NCAA tournament, where it will be making its second appearance in as many years. The selection show will take place April 30 at 5 p.m.
Harvard 6, Dartmouth 1
Doubles
1. MacMaster/D. Nguyen (H) def. Centenari/DeBot (D), 8-4
2. Hu/A. Nguyen (H) def. Tannenbaum/de Chatellus (D), 8-4
3. Lam/Steinroeder (H) def. Kipouras/Jacobs (D), 8-2
Singles
1. Denis Nguyen (H) def. Xander Centenari (D), 6-2, 6-4
2. Shaun Chaudhuri (H) def. Chris Kipouras (D), 6-1, 6-2
3. Andy Nguyen (H) def. Cameron Ghorbani (D), 6-3, 6-1
4. Alex Steinroeder (H) def. Brandon DeBot (D), 6-7(2), 6-2, 10-3
5. Nicky Hu (H), def. Justin Chan (D), 7-5, 7-5
6. Brendan Tannenbaum (D) def. Casey MacMaster (H), 7-5, ret.