Junior Scott Paltrowitz and freshman Ray Wu swept the singles flights, leading the men’s tennis team in the last day of the Men’s Fall Outdoor Tennis Invitational. The conditions were windy this weekend but Cornell didn’t use mother nature as a handicap, in fact the challenge pushed Cornell to success.
Paltrowitz’s consistent, strong performance in this weekend’s play helped him breeze past his competition. In the first round he won against Rowan Reynolds of Yale 6-0, 6-2. He then proceeded to the finals where he beat freshman Matthew Feldman of Yale 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Winning the B flight singles was a 140 minute, three-set mental fight for Paltrowitz. He said, “The length and intensity of the match made me concentrate harder and forced me to come out stronger.
“I started shaky, but I put the ball on the court and played better as I built up more momentum,” he added.
Wu, another Cornell netman, came out on top winning the D flight singles, 7-5, 7-5, in a close final match against Neil Tolaney of Yale. He played two tough sets but kept his cool.
“I am really excited and honored to have began at Cornell winning in my first tournament,” said the rookie, Wu.
Wu looks up to Paltrowitz as a role model on the team, saying that, “It’s easy to work hard and never give up when I see older teammates like him demonstrate that kind of dedication.”
Playing doubles, junior Scott Spencer and freshman Brett McKenon pushed into the finals but were overcome by Arnie and Rafael Albornoz of Army, 9-7.
“It was a really fun fight. The match lasted three sets, and Brett and I worked really hard,” Spencer said.
Unfortunately for the two, the disappointing win slipped through their fingers.
Head coach Barry Schoonmaker is looking forward to some intense competition this season especially against Harvard and Brown. Last year’s top-three Ivy League teams were Brown, Harvard, and Princeton.
“So far, Cornell is already performing stronger than Princeton, which indicates a strong season for the team,” Schoonmaker said.
Last season, the Cornell men’s tennis team placed fourth in the Ivy League and fifth in the North Eastern division, which includes 64 other teams. This year Schoonmaker is confident “that we will make it into the top three in the Ivy and North Eastern League.”
Cornell will be facing up against Yale next weekend when they travel to New Haven, Conn. for the Yale Invitational Tournament.
Archived article by Alexis Munoz