Harvard Builds Momentum with 6-1 Victory over Louisville

The birds proved no match for the Crimson on Super Bowl Sunday as No. 24 Harvard (5-3, 0-0 Ivy) dismantled Louisville (5-5, 0-0 ACC) 6-1 en route to another dual win ahead of the Ivy League season.

Kicking off action, juniors Melchior Delloye and Valdemar Pape cruised to a 6-0 victory on the third doubles court. Seniors Daniel Milavsky and David Lins quickly followed up with a 6-2 thumping of their own, securing the match’s doubles point for the Crimson.

Junior Masato Perera and first-year Benjamin Privara, the 21st-ranked doubles tandem in the country, were up 4-2 before Harvard claimed the point.

“I think the team is really good. Obviously we have two guys coming back from taking the fall off. They’ve been training really hard, so having them has been a big asset,” said Perera. “I think one of our strengths is doubles. We actually have only lost one doubles point so far.”

Transitioning to singles action and a best-of-three format, the Crimson again got off to a quick start. Milavsky, the 28th-ranked singles player in the NCAA, utilized his powerful groundstrokes to sail to a 6-3, 6-1 victory on the first court, extending Harvard’s lead to 2-0.

Sophomore Rohan Murali and Perera, playing on the fourth and fifth courts respectively, made quick work of their opponents, finishing with identical 6-1, 6-1 score lines and clinching the win for Harvard.

Shortly thereafter, Delloye punctuated the afternoon with another 6-3, 6-3 straight sets victory. Playing with poise and smart decision-making, Harvard’s singles players made very few mistakes throughout the afternoon.

The Cardinals, however, wouldn’t leave the Murr Center without a fight. Pape and fellow junior Marc Ktiri were both taken to third-set tiebreakers, where Ktiri prevailed 11-9 and Pape fell with the same scoreline, ending the match 6-1 in Harvard’s favor.

“I think as a whole we’re really finding sort of our level,” said Perera. We’ve beaten top teams like Georgia and Northwestern, and we’re even just points away from beating teams like Michigan or Texas A&M. I think the team’s looking really good and we’re looking for some big things this season.”

After starting the season 21st, the team slipped out of the rankings following tight 4-3 losses to No. 7 Duke, No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 17 University of Michigan. Despite the shortcomings, the team’s experience playing in the NCAA tournament, ITA championships, and top opponents will be valuable for the younger players.

“When you’re surrounded by people who sort of know what they’re doing, you sort of start to adopt some of those practices. I feel like the younger guys on our team have done a fantastic job. The older guys have a lot of experience being a top team,” Perera added.

As the quality of tennis in the Ivy League continues to improve, Harvard’s strong out-of-conference schedule will pay dividends in the back half of the season.

Still, Perera identifies an important strength that he hopes the team can lean on moving forward: its physicality. “We have a very physical team, so I think just really accentuating on and emphasizing our strengths in that way,” he said of the team’s main focuses. “I think we’re gonna keep going strong on doubles. I think our doubles teams are very good, and we can still clean up on some other things.”

The team heads to Philadelphia, P.A. on Friday for the ECAC Championships.