Even as the rain collected on a soggy New England weekend, men’s tennis racked up accolades in New Haven, Conn., at the Yale Invitational. The team has been on a long streak of solid performances ever since the season began. The Red hasn’t looked quite this competitive in a long time, and much of their improved performance can be attributed to the coaching provided by tennis program head coach David Geatz.

This weekend’s competition included Ivy League rivals Princeton and Yale, which have both fielded solid teams in the past and have added strong freshmen recruiting classes for the 2009-10 season. Yale finished at No. 2 in the Ancient Eight last year, tied with Cornell and Harvard. Princeton finished at No. 6 with a 3-4 Ivy record, and an 11-10 record overall.

The Red had no issues blowing past the Bulldogs, who didn’t seem to make much of their home courts. Most of Yale’s entries into the singles and doubles draws fell early, leaving the home team out of the later rounds in most draws. Yale had only one representative in the semifinals of the Flight A singles draw. The Red was able to advance three players to the semis, and both junior Andy Gauthier and junior Jon Jaklitsch were set to play in the finals before the match was cancelled due to inclement weather. Senior Jon Fife took down his opponent from Princeton in a convincing 6-0, 6-1 victory that would nab him a third-place finish. Loop forehand: Junior Jon Jaklitsch made it to the finals of the Yale Invitational.

The B flight was a much more difficult proposition for the Red. Junior Jeremy Feldman was able to break through the first round in a tough 7-6(8), 5-7, 10-7 victory against Princeton’s Coleman Crutchfield. Feldman would fall in straight sets to his next opponent. Sophomore Evan Bernstein showed some maturity in his semifinal appearance, plowing through two rounds with little to no effort. Bernstein has shown that he may be ready for the task of starting in the spring when the Red will be competing in the team format.

In the doubles, Feldman and Gauthier continued a long string of victories, reaching the final before it was canceled due to rain. Feldman and Gauthier continue to impress as they roll over their opponents in dominant style. Their road to the final was paved in easy victories. Their first match against Kushnirovich and Johnson from Army was over quickly, with the scoreboard reading 8-2. Feldman and Gauthier spent slightly more time against Shoji and Siow from Princeton before walking away with an 8-6 victory. As it stands, Feldman and Gauthier will likely be the Red’s greatest assets in the spring.

In Flight B, Fife and Bernstein were able to advance to the final round after a tough victory against Blumenkranz and Hoffman from Yale.

The Red will return to the courts in two weeks for the Regional Championships in Hanover, N.H. Many Red athletes have a shot of making a run at Championships. Gauthier, who has been on top of his game recently, is one player to watch when the Red heads north to New Hampshire.