NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Benjamin Privara of Harvard men's tennis secured a spot at the NCAA Individual Championships for the first time in his career following a semifinal victory at the ITA New England Regionals this afternoon. 

"Benji did an outstanding job all weekend, competing and staying locked in on his routines," said Andrew Rueb '95, the Scott Mead Head Coach for Harvard Men's Tennis, following Privara's victory. 

The sophomore knocked off the three-seed, Rodrigo Fernandes (Cornell) in straight sets to advance to the championship at the regional tournament.  Privara cruised to a 6-2 victory in the first and then battled in tiebreakers to win the contest.

"I am proud of how the team competed this weekend.  Having five of the eight quarterfinalists was a strong showing for the Crimson.  It is clear that the hard work we are doing in the gym and on the track is paying off," Rueb continued.

Rueb highlighted the Crimson's overall success at this weekend's tournament stating, "Melchior played fantastic tennis making it to the semis and losing in two close sets to Vignesh from Yale.  Nathan had a standout weekend for a first-year, making it to the quarterfinals.  Rohan and Kolos played some exciting doubles.  Valdemar is right there with his level and will be a force going forward.  And James is building up his match experience and is close to making another jump in his game."

Results

[1] Vignesh Gogineni (Yale) def. [5] Melchior Delloye (Harvard), 7-5, 7-6 (4)
[2] Benjamin Privara (Harvard) def. [3] Rodrigo Fernandes (Cornell), 6-2, 7-6 (4)

Next Up

The Crimson will next compete at the Ivy League Qualifier Tournament in Philadelphia, Pa. beginning Friday, October 24.