Hayes, Crimson Impress In Intersession Invitational

If the Harvard men’s tennis team felt any frustration over exams, it vented on its guests with a forceful showing at the Murr Center courts for the Intersession Invitational.

The Crimson hosted Auburn-Montgomery and Marist over the three-day weekend tournament, returning to action at a blistering pace after nearly three months without a contest.

“As a team, the best thing we could have done was compete,” co-captain Chris Clayton said. “After reading period and exams everyone is hungry to get out and play.”

Harvard did more than simply compete, though, posting a 15-13 singles record and a 9-8 doubles mark against National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national champion UAM and a talented Marist squad.

“[The invitational] went great,” Harvard coach Dave Fish ’72 said. “Most of the team did a very fine job against that high level of competition. It’s a good starting place, and I’m encouraged by where they may be able to go.”

The team displayed a stellar effort up and down the lineup, as six players notched winning records despite the grueling amount of court time. Most team members competed in singles and doubles each day, testing the squad’s toughness.

“As a team, everyone was playing with intensity and competing hard every match,” said Clayton, who was sidelined with a rotator cuff injury. “[The schedule] was tiring, but it set the tone for the team for the rest of the season.”

With its top player out and sophomore Aba Omodele-Lucien hampered by illness, the Crimson found its stride early and benefited from particularly strong play by junior Mike Hayes. The third-year player stayed locked in through the weekend en route to a 5-1 overall mark, earning praise from Fish as the only Harvard competitor to post a 3-0 singles record.

“[Hayes’] effort was really excellent,” Fish said. “He’s committed to doing what he needs to do with a single-minded focus. It allowed him to play at a different level and showed what he’s capable of.”

After dropping the opening set to Marist’s Loic Sessagesimi on Friday, Hayes never looked back, claiming the match, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0. Encouraged by his turnaround, the junior completed an undefeated weekend by pummeling two UAM opponents, yielding just six games through both matches.

Despite the dominant performance, Hayes refused to take credit for a drastic change in his game, echoing his coaches’ emphasis on mental preparation.

“I think [the key] is focus, nothing miraculous.” Hayes said. “I’m not training differently, it’s just attention to little things.”

Indeed, a break from training for finals period had little impact on any of the Crimson, as seniors Sasha Ermakov and Michael Kalfayan, sophomore Alexi Chijoff-Evans, and freshmen Alistair Felton and Davis Mangam claimed winning weekends.

In addition, the 2-1 singles performance of rookie Robertson McAnulty and 3-1 doubles results from co-captain Kalfayan and sophomore Will Guzick reflected a consistently high level of team play.

“Everything is a team effort,” Clayton explained. “Pretty much everyone played strong, and as a senior, it’s great to see young guys stepping up and contributing.”

Clayton’s classmate Ermakov may have shouldered the largest burden, stepping into the top singles spot while the co-captain recovers. Ermakov dispatched Nikola Miskovic and Francisco Redondo of UAM before falling, 7-6, 7-5, to the Senators’ Michael Johnson in a hard-fought title match.

While Ermakov’s quality effort has become characteristic of the standout senior, Kalfayan and Fish expressed excitement over the stellar contribution from Harvard’s freshmen.

“[The rookies] played extremely well,” Kalfayan said. “It was definitely a step up and a chance for them to prove that they can be strong college players.”

Although Liinus Hietaniemi continued to struggle in his first season, the trio of Felton, Mangam, and McAnulty combined to go 10-9 (6-3 in singles), peaking at an opportune time before Ivy League play begins.

“Those three really did some balling,” Fish said in reference to the freshmen. “It’s nice to have that kind of strong, disciplined contribution because it pushes everyone else up.”

With impressive performances throughout the roster, the Crimson demonstrated its preparation for the long road ahead. As a fresh semester begins, Harvard will look to maintain its pace and continue to post dominant results.

—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.