CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 36 Harvard men's tennis (14-5) opens Ivy League play at home against a pair of top-notch opponents, matching up against No. 55 Cornell and No. 28 Columbia. The Crimson and Big Red will face off Saturday at 1 p.m., while Harvard and Columbia meet Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches can be seen live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Yeung Money
Sophomore Brian Yeung owns a 15-4 overall record, including a 11-3 mark since starting dual matches. The Hong Kong product boasts perfect marks at the No. 1, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 positions and has won nine-straight.
Scouting Cornell
Cornell (8-6, 0-1 Ivy League) slipped nine spots in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's national rankings to No. 55 this week in the wake of a 6-1 loss to No. 26 Columbia last Saturday. Sophomore Chris Vrabel accounted for the Big Red's lone point with a victory at No. 4 singles, aided by his opponent's injury default when they were even in the third set. Vrabel leads the team with a 10-2 record in singles. Senior and five-time All-Ivy selection Sam Fleck has teamed up with sophomore Colin Sinclair to go 8-1 in doubles. Sophomore Bernardo Casares Rosa has won seven of his last eight matches from the No. 3 singles position.
Scouting Columbia
Columbia is eyeing its second straight Ivy League title as it commences league play. The Lions handed Cornell its first loss of the season, 6-1, in New York, to begin conference action March 28. Columbia, who has faced eight top-25 opponents this season, sits 8-5 overall, 1-0 in conference action and ranks No. 28 in the polls. Mike Vermeer paces the team with a 7-0 mark in the lower half of the Lions singles lineup, while Winston Lin, who ranks 21st in the nation, boasts an 8-4 ledger against some of the best racquets in the country.
In the Rankings
Harvard sits at No. 36 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Poll this week after rising as high as No. 18 March 3, its highest ranking since 2013 (18). The Crimson is one of seven Ivy League teams ranked. Individually, senior Denis Nguyen ranks No. 38 in singles play and Nicky Hu sits No. 120. Nguyen and sophomore Brian Yeung sit No. 15 in doubles action.
Team
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Jan. 6
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29
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Jan. 20
|
30
|
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Jan. 28
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32
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Feb. 3
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30
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Feb. 17
|
25
|
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Feb. 24
|
22
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March 3
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18
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March 10
|
21
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March 17
|
22
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|
March 24
|
33
|
|
March 31
|
36
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Last Time Out
The Crimson swept the final nonconference day, besting Buffalo, 6-1, and Amherst, 7-0, last Saturday at the Murr Tennis Center. Freshman Grant Solomon went 2-0 on the day as the Crimson moved to 14-5 in dual matches. Sophomore Brian Yeung also won at the No. 1 spot and earned two wins in doubles play.
Home Cookin'
Harvard owns a 10-1 record thus far at home this season, beating opponents by a combined score of 62-16. The Crimson's lone loss came at the hands of No. 23 Vanderbilt.
LIVE! From the Murr, It's Men's Tennis
For the second-straight year, all Murr Center matches will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network. Subscribers to the network can watch matches both live and on-demand at their convenience, and will have access to live and on-demand content for all Harvard athletic events through the duration of their subscription.
Fall Ball
Denis Nguyen and Brian Yeung wrapped the fall season with a spot at the 2014 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships after winning the doubles event at the ITA Regional Championships. In the semifinals of the regionals, Nguyen and Yeung bested Cornell's Vrabel and Casares to square off against Dartmouth's Sakinis and Kipuoras. The duo turned away the Big Red pair for the USTA/ITA regional championship title.
#Winning
The Crimson finished the fall season with an 81-39 (.675) record in tournament play. Sebastian Beltrame and Andrew Ball both registered a 10-3, while three Crimson student-athletes picked up wins over ranked opponents (Beltrame, Denis Nguyen and Alex Steinroeder).
Last Year
The Crimson is coming off an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, as Denis Nguyen became Harvard's first All-American since 2005 with a semifinals appearance in the men's singles draw.
On the Sidelines
David Fish, the Scott Mead '77 Family Head Coach for Harvard Men's Tennis, is in his 39th season with the Crimson after coaching the men's tennis team to an 18-7 record last season and leading the Crimson to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the third-straight season. Fish was named the winner of the 2014 ITA Meritorious Service Award in December.
