Men's Tennis Sweeps Opponents at Home

After a rollercoaster spring break session on the West Coast, the Harvard men’s tennis team defended its home turf this weekend with a clean 3-0 sweep of Louisiana, Buffalo, and Amherst.

The Crimson (12-8) reaffirmed its doubles dominance this weekend by claiming the doubles point in all three matches. The confidence and momentum from these three wins will be crucial as the team prepares for the start of Ivy play next week.

“I think we’re in great shape,” co-captain Jean Thirouin said. “This weekend was the perfect opportunity to gain some confidence before Ivies, and as long as everyone stays healthy we’re excited to see what we can do.”

HARVARD 4, AMHERST 3

Harvard entered its third match of the week with a strong start, sweeping all three doubles positions against Amherst (11-2) on Saturday. The duo of junior Kenny Tao and rookie Logan Weber made quick work of their Purple & White opponents with a 6-2 win, while sophomore Peters and Thirouin claimed second doubles and sophomore pair Sam Beren and Andy Zhou won at third.

“It was nice to be indoors where I feel most comfortable and where we have been training for the majority of the season,” Tao said.

The Crimson and Amherst split singles play, with Zhou, freshman Galen Lee, and Weber earning points for Harvard at first, third, and fourth singles, respectively. Lee’s match was the only three-set match of the day, and he was able to come back from a 2-6 loss in the second game to clinch the match in the third set.

Junior Grant Solomon, Peters, and junior Xavier Gonzalez gave up points at second, fifth, and sixth singles, respectively, but the early doubles edge was enough to give Harvard the win.

“It was definitely was a great sign that we were able to adjust back to the indoor play quickly and it gives us a lot of confidence heading into the Ivy stretch,” Thirouin said.

HARVARD 4, BUFFALO 3

The Crimson earned an early advantage on Saturday morning against the University of Buffalo (7-5). The duo of Tao and senior Brian Yeung, ranked No. 57, claimed their 13th win of the season with their victory at first doubles. Weber and Morrow also won their 13th match as a doubles pair with a 6-4 win at third doubles.

On the singles side, it came down to Thirouin’s match against the Bulls at second singles. Tao earned a straight-set win at first singles, while Zhou edged out his opponent in a close tiebreaker in the first set and took the second set for a 7-6, 6-2 win at fourth singles. Yeung fell at third singles, while Morrow and Lee both pushed their matches into the third set but failed to clinch the victory at fifth and sixth singles, respectively.

Thirouin took the first set 6-3, but gave up the second set 7-5 to Buffalo junior Vidit Vaghela.

“I felt like I was in control for the majority of the match but he played the big points in the second set better than I did,” Thirouin said. “I tried to change that around in the third set and really take advantage of every opportunity that I got by keeping the pressure on him.”

Thirouin’s work paid off, and he won the third set 6-3, giving Harvard its second victory of the weekend.

HARVARD 7, LOUISIANA 0

The Crimson started the weekend on a strong note with wins at all three doubles positions against Louisiana (11-8) on Friday. Tao and Yeung swept at first doubles, Peters and Thirouin at second doubles, and Morrow and Weber managed to edge out their opponents in a tiebreaker at third doubles.

On the singles side, Harvard continued its dominance across the ladder. Tao made quick work of his opponent in a 6-2, 6-0 victory at first singles.

“I was a little shaky coming into the weekend after not doing as well as I hoped over break, and it was reaffirming and a big confidence boost to sweep this weekend,” Tao said. The California native ended the weekend 2-0 in singles play.

Thiruoin, Yeung, Zhou, and Morrow also claimed straight-set victories at second, third, fourth, and sixth singles, respectively. Solomon managed to edge out his opponent at fifth singles to give Harvard a clean sweep.

With co-captain Sebastian Beltrame still recovering from an injury and others struggling to remain healthy across the roster, the team is hoping for the best as Ivy play approaches.

“A lot of our results will depend if we can stay healthy throughout,” Tao said. “Going into Ivies, I think we have a good shot.”

—Staff writer Jamie Chen can be reached at jamie.chen@thecrimson.com.