Doran Reaches Semis Of Penn Conf. Classic

Junior John Doran and sophomore Mike Rich traveled to Philadelphia this weekend to represent the illustrious Harvard men's tennis team (4-0) in the Penn Conference Classic.

Doran came away with three wins and a semifinal loss, while Rich suffered through two losses and an injury.

Having won the tournament last year, Doran was looking to defend his title this year.

However, it was not to be.

Despite playing solid tennis, Doran--characterized by his explosive serve and forehand--lost in straight sets in the semifinals, thereby falling just short of reaching the finals for the second consecutive year.

The difference in the close match was only two service breaks.

"Missing a couple first serves proved to be very costly," Doran said. "It was quite difficult to get a service break."

Prior to the loss at the hands of a Northwestern Wildcat, Doran cruised through the first two rounds and the quarterfinals without dropping a set. As he made his way to the semifinals, he soundly defeated opponents from Penn State, Dartmouth and Columbia.

"It would have been good to win the tournament again, but I am reasonably satisfied with my performance," Doran said. "You can't win every week."

Doran, originally from Dublin, Ireland, is one of the international stars on the Harvard team. During the summer of 1998, he played for Ireland in the prestigious Davis Cup, picking up a singles victory against Hungary and two single victories versus Monaco.

In addition to his Davis Cup play, Doran played in the Four Nations Tournament (Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales) in September and won all his matches at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles on behalf of Ireland.

Doran has proved to one of the most impressive players on the Harvard team. During the 1997-98 season, Doran was Second Team All-EITA in both singles and doubles.

His career record, prior to this season, for the Crimson was 37-20 in singles and 11-7 in doubles.

Joining Doran at the Penn Conference Classic was a new face for Harvard this season--sophomore Mike Rich.

After playing for the Crimson in 1995-96, Rich--originally from Salt Lake City, Utah--took a two-year leave of absence from Harvard for his Mormon mission.

Unfortunately Rich, competing in his first event of the fall, did not experience the same success as Doran.

Rich lost in three sets in the first round and then proceeded to lose in straight sets in his consolation round.

Having won the first set in his match, Rich pulled a quad muscle in the second set, thereby impairing his mobility for the remainder of the tournament.

"My injury isn't an excuse," said "I served really well and was happy with my play. It is always great to get competition at that level."

The Classic was filled with numerous talented players from respectable tennis programs across the nation, including Clemson, Northwestern, Minnesota and the University of Virginia.

The next two major events for the Harvard men's team are the upcoming Crimson Challenge this weekend and the Rolex tournament the following weekend.

Depending on the condition of his quad, Rich hopes to play this weekend, while Doran will be resting for the Rolex. After capturing the ECACs last weekend with very little trouble, Harvard now looks to the Rolex as the biggest remaining fall event.

"We are trying to peak for the Rolex," Doran said.

However, first is the Crimson Fall Classic this coming weekend here in Cambridge.