MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Harvard men's tennis (0-1) fell in a thriller against Memphis (3-0), 4-3, this afternoon in its season opener in Memphis, Tenn.

Harvard battled closely with the Tigers in doubles but ultimately started the day down.  Memphis' ranked duo won 6-4 at court one and then secured the doubles point with a narrow 7-5 decision on court two. 

The Tigers added another point with a win at court five before the Crimson began its comeback.  Rohan Murali was the first to get Harvard on the board, registering a strong 6-2, 6-4 win over Maxime Dubouch (Memphis) at the No. 2 position. 

Nathan Blokhin then tied the match at two-all as he recorded his first dual-season win over Sam Reeve (Memphis) on court three.  The first-year picked up the win in convincing fashion, defeating Reeve in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5. 

Masato Perera gave Harvard its first lead as he recorded the third consecutive Harvard victory, taking down Obrad Markovski (Memphis), 7-5, 6-4. 

Perera's win was the final of the day, however, as the Tigers won on court six and then solidified the match with a win in a ranked three-set battle on the top court.    

Results

Doubles

1. No. 58 Maxime Dubouch/Moritz Kudernatsch (Memphis) def. Nathan Blokhin/Benjamin Privara (Harvard), 6-4
2. Marcos Castro Fabra/Sam Reeve (Memphis) def. Masato Perera/Elisha Thornton (Harvard), 7-5
3. Kolos Kincses/Rohan Murali (Harvard) vs. Obrad Markovski/Marko Milosavljevic (Memphis), DNF 6-6 (1-1)

Order of finish: 1, 2

Singles

1. No. 101 Moritz Kudernatsch (Memphis) def. No. 109 Benjamin Privara (Harvard), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
2. Rohan Murali (Harvard) def. Maxime Dubouch (Memphis), 6-2, 6-4
3. Nathan Blokhin (Harvard) def. Sam Reeve (Memphis), 6-4, 7-5
4. Masato Perera (Harvard) def. Obrad Markovski (Memphis), 7-5, 6-4
5. Marcos Castro Fabra (Memphis) def. Kolos Kincses (Harvard), 6-3, 6-4
6. Leandro Zgraggen (Memphis) def. Marc Ktiri (Harvard), 6-4, 7-6 (1)

Order of finish: 5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 1

Next Up

The Crimson will return to action in less than 48 hours to close out its Tennessee road trip against Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday, January 20 at 6:00 p.m. ET.