Tennis found its rhythm this past weekend with both the men’s and women’s teams delivering strong performances to keep post-season hopes alive. The women's squad broke a losing streak in a Sunday showdown at home, while the men’s team claimed back-to-back wins over ranked Ivy rivals to stay firmly in the championship contention.
Men’s tennis delivered a pair of statement victories to improve to 14-6 overall and 4-1 in Ivy play. After stunning No. 30 Princeton University on Senior Day at home Friday, the Red left Ithaca to knock off No. 47 University of Pennsylvania on Sunday, keeping pace just behind league-leading Columbia University.
Friday’s clash at the Reis Tennis Center was Princeton’s first loss to an Ivy League team this season. Tied 2-2 with three matches still in play and all pushed to third sets, three of Cornell’s seniors rose to the occasion. No. 2 senior Adit Sinha rallied from a set down to beat Princeton’s No. 40 Paul Inchauspe, shifting the momentum and putting Cornell on the brink of victory.
No. 1 senior Radu Papoe — the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American award winner in Cornell men’s tennis history, clinched the win with a 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 victory at the top spot over No. 67 Fnu Nidunjianzan. No. 6 senior Nathan Mao followed moments later with a gritty comeback of his own, taking down Milan Markovits 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 at No. 6 to seal a 5-2 team triumph.
Sophomore No 5. Felipe Pinzon provided the only straight-sets win of the day, dispatching Evan Wen 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4. Cornell had taken the doubles point earlier with wins at the No. 2 and 3 positions, setting the tone for the match.
Two days later, the Red rolled into Philadelphia and kept its Ivy title hopes alive with a 5-2 win over the 47th-ranked Quakers. Mao set the tone early with a commanding 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 6, and Sinha and Papoe followed with dominant straight-sets wins at Nos. 2 and 1, respectively. The trio dropped just 10 total games between them. Senior Jack McCarthy added a third-set super tiebreak win at No. 3 to pad the final margin.
Men’s tennis now prepares for a crucial regular-season finale with major Ivy League implications. It will travel north to face Dartmouth College on Saturday, April 19 before a potential title decider against No. 16 Harvard on Sunday, April 20. Both matches are set for 1 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Returning to the familiar courts of the Reis Tennis Center, the Cornell women’s tennis team captured its first Ivy League win of the season with a 4-1 triumph over UPenn on Sunday. The Red (11-7, 1-4 Ivy) showed resilience and focus after a narrow loss to Princeton on Friday.
The doubles point was a battle, with Cornell eventually pulling ahead thanks to a 6-4 win at No. 3 by senior Alexandra Savu and junior Emma Baker. Sophomore Michelle Ryndin and freshman Sage Loudon were fighting through a 5-5 in the top doubles match when the point was secured. That early momentum carried into singles play, where Ryndin led the charge once again, now at No. 1, earning a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory over nationally ranked No. 72 Sabine Rutlauka to clinch the team win.
Sophomore Victoria Zhao also turned in a dominant performance at No. 3, defeating Lara Stojanovski 6-2, 6-3, while Baker capped a perfect day with a 6-1, 7-6 win at No. 6 singles. Jenny Wong held a 4-1 third-set lead at No. 4 when the match was called.
After taking a 2-0 lead, the Red couldn’t hold off the Tigers. Loudon scored the only other singles point for Cornell, gutting out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback at No. 2.
Women’s tennis will wrap up its Ivy League season at home next weekend, welcoming Dartmouth and Harvard to Ithaca for 1 p.m. matches on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
