Tag Archive: M. Tennis

  1. M. TENNIS | Yale shows depth in singles

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    The Yale men’s tennis team packed the final rounds in singles at the historic site of the U.S. Open last weekend.

    While Yale traditionally shines in doubles matches, the Bulldogs sent four players to the final matches in the singles draws at the USTA Collegiate Invitational in Flushing, N.Y. Since entering the tournament in 2010, Yale has never before sent so many players to the finals in singles, and this year the team was better represented in the late rounds than any other Ivy League school. Second seed Jason Brown ’16 was the only Yale player to win his draw and receive a championship title. But Brown said that victory was not easy.

    “The transition [from high school to collegiate play] has been tough,” Brown said. “Everyone in college is good, and they make you earn every single point.”

    On the first day of play the Bulldogs had nine players entered into the singles draws. Captain Daniel Hoffman ’13, who is ranked No. 114 nationally, was edged out of the competition early on by Columbia’s Winston Lin, ranked 95th nationally. Kyle Dawson ’14, Zachary Dean ’13, Tommy Ratchford ’14 and Patrick Chase ’14 all had close opening matches but were not able to move on to the semifinals.

    No. 4 seed John Huang ’13, ranked 113th in the nation, made it to the semifinals in the A draw after easily defeating Harvard player Andy Nguyen. In the finals, Huang lost to No. 67 Tiger Matija Pecotic, who emerged the champion of the A draw. Daniel Faierman ’15 and Zach Krumholz ’15 both moved to the semifinals in the E draw of the tournament. Brown defeated Emilio Mora of Fordham in a strenuous three-set match to advance to the semifinals as well.

    “It was really exciting playing my first matches of the year,” Krumholz said. “We all still have room for improvement, but I am pleased with the way our team is playing thus far.”

    On the second day of play, Huang encountered the highest nationally ranked player in the invitational, No. 38 Vasko Mladenov of St. John’s, and defeated him in a three-set battle to move on to the finals. Faierman and Martin Svenning ’16 also made the finals in their respective draws. All three Yale players fell to their opponents.

    Brown extended his undefeated match streak to seven after he overcame Farleigh Dickinson’s Yuri Grechenko. The week before, Brown earned a championship title at the Princeton Farnsworth Tournament when his finals opponent withdrew.

    Among Ivy rivals Princeton, Harvard, Brown and Columbia, Yale earned the most slots in the main draw singles finals. In doubles, traditionally a strength for the Elis, only the Brown-Svenning freshman duo advanced to the finals, where they lost to the No. 1 seeded team from Princeton.

    “These tournaments definitely give us a good indication of how we stack up against the other Ivy League schools,” Hoffman said. “We try to approach them like a team match so we can get used to playing in high-pressure situations.”

    The Elis will go right back into play this coming weekend in Tulsa, Okla., at the All-American Championships. Depending on how far the players go in the draws, the team could be on the road for up to seven days.

  2. M. TENNIS | Doubles outshines Ivy rivals

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    At the Princeton-Farnsworth Invitational, Yale doubles dominated the Ivy scene.

    Amid raucous partiers from Princeton’s lawnparties and enthusiastic Tigers fans, the Elis team capitalized on its freshman talent for a consistently strong showing in both singles and doubles at the team’s first competition of the year. During the first day of play, Yale went undefeated in the doubles lineup.

    “Overall, it was a pretty successful tournament,” John Huang ’13 said. “Everyone was able to pull out some very good wins and it was a strong start to the fall. We’ve only been practicing for a week or so but our doubles was very solid.”

    The tournament included four other Ivy League schools among the 13 competing, and the Bulldogs competed in all six singles draws and all three doubles draws.

    Yale’s doubles teams included team captain Daniel Hoffman ’13 and Marc Powers ’13, returning pair Huang and Patrick Chase ’14, Daniel Faierman ’15 and Matt Saiontz ’15, and Kyle Dawson ’14 with Zach Dean ’13. All won their first matches.

    By Sunday, the doubles pairs of Dawson and Dean along with Huang and Chase had both made the finals in their respective draws. Huang and Chase upset Princeton’s No. 36 team the previous day in the semifinals, but the pair was unable to pull out the win in the final of the “A” draw. Dawson and Dean defeated Boston College’s Matt Wagner and Kyle Childree 8–5 in the final of the ‘C’ doubles main draw.

    “Our style isn’t very traditional, so that helps,” Dean said. “We know each others tendencies and mesh pretty well, as far as style and attitude are concerned.”

    The tournament was set up so that each of the six singles draws had 16 players from all of the different schools. Huang and Powers both suffered injuries on Friday and had to retire from their second matches of the day. Hoffman, Faierman, and Martin Svenning ’16 all finished strong with match play on Sunday.

    Rookies Jason Brown ’16 and Svenning were placed in the same draw of their first collegiate competition. Brown came out with two strong victories on the first day of play and earned a spot in the semifinals against Princeton’s Dan Davies. Brown then defeated Davies 6–0, 6 –4 and became the champion of his singles draw after his opponent from Columbia, Eric Rubin, withdrew prior to the match because of an injury.

    “The freshmen really stood out this past weekend,” Hoffman said. “They had an amazing first weekend and I expect them to be heavy contributors in the spring.”

    Hoffman said the team’s focus for the fall to prepare and train for the spring season, when Yale will vie for the Ivy title. Next weekend, the Elis head to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., for the three-day National Tennis Center Collegiate Invitational.

  3. M. TENNIS | Squad double faults

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    In a disappointing turn of events, the men’s tennis team was defeated by two Ivy League rivals this weekend.

    On the road Friday, the newly ranked No. 73 Bulldogs fell 5–2 to their Ancient Eight archrival, the No. 24 Crimson. Continuing its Ivy League competition, Yale hosted the No. 60 Big Green (18–3, 4–2 Ivy) for Yale’s Senior Day. but the Bulldogs were unable to come out with a win and lost again, 5–2.

    “We knew that [Harvard] would be very tough,” Marc Powers ’13 said. “We all played our hearts out and left everything on the court. We were not disappointed with our effort.”

    The Crimson quickly came out on top on Friday after winning the first two doubles matches at No. 2 and No. 3. At the No. 3 position, the pair of team captain Erik Blumenkranz ’12 and Joel Samaha ’12 lost first with a score 8–1, and No. 2 Patrick Chase ‘14 and John Huang ‘13 fell shortly after, 8–6. At No. 1, the No. 80 team of Daniel Hoffman ’13 and Marc Powers ’13 upset Harvard’s nationally ranked No. 57 pair in a close, back and forth 9–8 match.

    In the singles round, Harvard (13–9, 2–3 Ivy) was ahead on every single court after the first set. The Crimson quickly secured the victory when it won at the No. 6, No. 4 and No. 1 spots consecutively. Harvard’s No. 1, Jonathan Pearlman, was the first Ivy League player to defeat Huang, ending his nine-match winning streak. Hoffman won at No. 2, winning his fourth consecutive three-set match. Powers was also victorious at the No. 3 spot, defeating his opponent in three sets as well.

    “Harvard was really solid all the way down their singles lineup,” Zach Dean ’13 said. Hoffman noted that the team effort was there, but the bounces just weren’t going their way.

    Against the Big Green, Yale (13–10, 2–4 Ivy) was unable to win the doubles point for the second time in a row. The teams split the first two doubles matches: Dartmouth won first at No. 2, defeating Huang and Chase 8–5, but the duo of Hoffman and Powers was successful at the No. 1 position, coming away with a 9–7 victory. The senior pair of Blumenkranz and Samaha fell in a close 9–7 match at No. 3.

    Dartmouth also came away with the majority of the singles matches, winning four out of the six. Powers and Dean were the first to go at the No. 2 and No. 6 positions respectively, with Dean losing in a tough three sets. The deciding match came down to the No. 4 position, where Blumenkranz lost in another close three-set match. Yale was victorious at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. Huang had an easy 6–3, 6–0 win, and Hoffman came out with his fifth consecutive win, remaining undefeated in the Ivy League.

    “It was fun. It was a bit nostalgic being the last time playing in that facility,” Blumenkranz said, referring to the team’s last home match of the season at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center. “It was fun being out there with the rest of the guys, I’ve had a great time here at Yale.”

    The Elis will play No. 51 Brown in Providence, R.I., this coming weekend.

  4. M. TENNIS | Upsets for Bulldogs

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    The men’s tennis team fought through a tough weekend, battling rowdy fans and rain during its run for the Ivy League title.

    In the first match of the weekend, Yale (13–8, 2–2 Ivy) upset the No. 37 Columbia Lions 4–3, serving them their first loss in the Ivies. In a disappointing turn of events the next day, Yale struggled to repeat its performance. The Elis became unranked Cornell’s first win in the Ivy League this season with a 4–3 loss.

    “It was great to beat [Columbia] because it’s great to pull out those close matches,” Patrick Chase ’14 said. “To have them come here after losing to them 4–3 last year and then beat them 4–3 meant a lot.”

    During the beginning of the match against Columbia (16–4, 3–2 Ivy), it looked as if the Bulldogs would suffer another loss to an Ivy League opponent. Yale lost the first match of the day at No. 1 doubles when the pair of Daniel Hoffman ’13 and Marc Powers ’13 fell 8–2. Captain Erik Blumenkranz ‘12 and Joel Samaha ’12 were next to finish with an 8–3 win at No. 3. The doubles point then fell to the No. 2 pair of Chase and John Huang ’13. During the second set, Columbia suffered a point penalty resulting from their fans cheering during point play, but managed to hold on to the match. The Lions won 9–8 in a close tie-breaker, ending Yale’s six-point winning streak in doubles.

    In singles, both teams won three matches each. Team captain Erik Blumenkranz ’12 started off with a decisive win at No. 4, 6–2, 6–0. Columbia took No. 2 in a tight match, after which Huang followed up with a win at No. 1 against No. 96 Haig Schneiderman to bring the match score to 2–2. The two teams then split No. 5 and No. 6, when Kyle Dawson ’13 won at No. 5 and Zach Krumholz ’15 lost at No. 6. The outcome of the match came down to the No. 3 contest. Hoffman defeated his opponent in three sets, extending the total time of the whole match to five hours.

    “I thought it was a great atmosphere with all [the fans],” Huang said. “That’s what you play for really. It makes it so much more exciting because tennis seems like such a quiet sport.”

    In a quick turnaround of 24 hours, the Bulldogs had to take on Cornell (8–15, 1–4 Ivy), which before the match was 0–4 in Ivy play. Yale destroyed the Big Red’s doubles lineup in under an hour, setting the stage for a potential win in the singles round.

    In singles, Yale struggled to maintain its momentum from the doubles win. Huang came out swinging, defeating his opponent with power and precision 6–2, 6–1 and extending his winning streak to nine consecutive matches. At this point, the Bulldogs were now up 2–0 and only had to win two out of the five remaining matches to win. After the initial singles victory, the match started to fall apart for the Elis. A 30-minute rain delay halted four matches mid-game, but Yale returned to play down a set in three out of the four remaining matches. Yale was not able to recover from falling behind. At No. 3, Hoffman was the only other player to win in singles. Yet again, the match was completed in just under five hours.

    “I think we came out a little too flat,” Huang said. “Yesterday was a really long match that took a lot out of us. We started off too slowly, and once we were behind it made it really tough to come back. Everyone gave it their best, but it was too late.”

    Next weekend the Bulldogs will continue Ivy play away against No. 24 Harvard on Friday. After their trip to Boston, Yale will host Dartmouth at home for Senior Day.

    Hoffman said Harvard will be a good match to win as the team is currently No. 1 in Ivy League standings. On Sunday he hopes to win for the seniors.

  5. M. TENNIS | Yale splits road trip

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    The men’s tennis team started off the Ivy League season with a win and a loss this past weekend while on the road.

    The Bulldogs battled 20 mph winds in addition to an unranked Penn team to come out with a hard-earned first victory in the Ivy League, 5–2. The next day’s match against the unranked Tigers did not go as well, ending in a tough 4–3 loss.

    “[This weekend] just shows that every single team in the Ivies is super tight and that any match can go any way,” John Huang ’13 said. “Today we were a little unlucky, and hopefully we can turn it around next weekend.”

    Against Penn, Yale (12–6, 1–1 Ivy) won the doubles point, extending its streak of winning the doubles point to six matches. At the No. 1 doubles position, the No. 67 pair of Daniel Hoffman ’13 and Marc Powers ’13 had an easy 8–4 win. At No. 2 doubles, Patrick Chase ’14 and Huang earned a close 8–6 win.

    In singles, the Elis came out on top as well. Huang won his sixth consecutive match when he played at No. 2 this weekend 6–2, 6–1. At No. 3, Hoffman won 6–1, 6–4. Team captain Erik Blumenkranz ’12 and Powers both split sets with their opponents and came out victorious in the third, at the No. 4 and No. 1 positions respectively. Yale’s only losses in the singles round came at No.5 and No. 6.

    “It was great to come out and win our first Ivy match of the year,” Hoffman said. “The conditions were really tough, but everyone battled really hard and played smart. All of the Ivies are really good this year, so everyone winning is extremely important.”

    Against the Tigers, the Bulldogs won the doubles point after the senior pair of Blumenkranz and Joel Samaha ’12 came back from match point to win 9–7. The No. 1 doubles pair of Powers and Hoffman suffered their first loss since losing to Stanford’s No. 1 pair 8–1 back in March.

    Hoffman said the doubles point was crucial to win in order for Yale to stay in the match. Both Hoffman and Huang won their matches at the No. 3 and No. 2 positions respectively, the only two to win their matches in singles. The Elis suffered a tough loss at No. 5 when Zach Krumholz ’15 began to cramp after the first set.

    “I thought today was a great match; it could have gone either way,” head coach Alex Dorato said. “We put ourselves in a position to win it and that’s all I can ask for.”

    Next weekend the Bulldogs will come up against No. 50 Columbia in a home match. Columbia is now tied for first in the Ivies with Princeton. Both share a league record of 3–0. Staying at home, Yale will then take on Cornell, which currently has an Ivy League record of 0–3. Dorato said if Yale is able to defeat Columbia and if Princeton loses to Harvard, Yale will be tied for first in the Ivies.

  6. M. TENNIS | Elis dominate weekend competition

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    The Bulldogs took home three victories on Saturday and Sunday in West Point, N.Y., where they traveled to play St. Bonaventure, Binghamton and host Army.

    The weekend began with a sweeping 7–0 win against St. Bonaventure on Saturday morning. Daniel Hoffman ’13 and Mark Powers ’13 set the tone for the match, defeating their opposition 8–0 in the first doubles match of the day.

    “Daniel Hoffman ’13 in particular stood out during the Army match,” head coach Alex Dorato said. “He is on a tremendous winning streak, and is vital to both our doubles and singles matches.”

    Hoffman, who defeated St. Bonaventure’s Elliot Fanshel, has won nine straight singles matches since mid-February.

    After dominating in both the doubles and singles rounds against St. Bonaventure, the Bulldogs faced off against Binghamton on Saturday afternoon in singles and Sunday morning in doubles.

    Although Dorato said Binghamton is a strong team, the Bulldogs took a lopsided 5–2 win. Marc Powers ’13 credited the victories to the team’s practice regimen and makeup.

    “Our greatest advantage was the off-court training we’ve incorporated heavily into our practices,” Powers said. “No one was tired after the matches. Also, our depth is very strong. We were winning matches pretty safely.”

    The Bulldogs finished off the weekend with another 7–0 victory on Sunday afternoon against Army. While the overall match scores were lopsided, Kyle Dawson ’14 said most matches were challenging.

    The team’s victories come just two weeks before Ivy League play and the start of the chase for the Ivy League championship. But Dorato said the wins have not changed the Elis’ mindset for the Ivy League title.

    “They may have given us a bit of confidence, but we also now have a clearer idea of what we need to work on,” he said.

    Captain Erik Blumenkranz ’12 added that all of the teams competing in the Ivies are quite good, and the Bulldogs are focused on training hard in the next couple of weeks.

    Powers said the team has been preparing for the championships since winter break and is ready to enter Ivy League play with confidence.

    The Bulldogs will host St. John’s at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center on March 31.

  7. M. TENNIS | Bulldogs fall to three rivals

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    The unranked Yale men’s tennis team suffered three straight losses to other Ivy League schools during the ECAC Indoor Championships in Hanover, N.H.

    The Bulldogs, seeded No. 8 for the tournament, went into the weekend with a 4–0 record and came out 4–3. The Elis fell to nationally ranked No. 60 Harvard and No. 70 Princeton 4–1 in the first and second rounds. The tournament ended with a 3–2 loss to Columbia on the last day.

    “I thought we had been playing well and were in a good position to be successful this weekend,” Daniel Hoffman ’13 said. “We have been working really hard, so it was disappointing that we couldn’t come away with a better result.”

    He added that even though the team had received a lower seed, he felt going in that the Bulldogs had an opportunity to do well.

    The tournament started out late for Yale on Friday because the matches before Yale’s ran late. The team was scheduled to play in the last four matches of the day, which pushed back two hours past their 6 p.m. start time.

    Yale’s matches also ran longer than usual, as No. 1 pair, Hoffman and Marc Powers ’13, won 8–6, and No. 3 pair of John Huang ’13 and Patrick Chase ’14 lost 8–6. Harvard won the doubles point at No. 2 when the Crimson defeated Yale’s Erik Blumenkranz ’12 and Joel Samaha ’12 in a tight 9–8 match. Harvard went on to win all three singles matches.

    “We had a great comeback at No. 2 doubles,” head coach Alex Dorato said. “We were very close to beating Harvard, who was the top team in the tournament.”

    Powers strained his achilles tendon during the match against Harvard, and dropped out of the singles lineup the rest of the weekend. Dorato said that even though Powers was able to play doubles, he played at about half his potential.

    The Elis got up early Saturday morning to play the No. 4 seed Princeton, but fell 4–1. The Tigers swept their doubles matches and won three out of four singles matches. Hoffman earned the points for Yale in singles against Harvard and Princeton when he won his No. 3 match against Harvard’s Alex Steinroder and his No. 2 match against Princeton’s Augie Bloom. Hoffman lost against Columbia’s Nathaniel Gery, but Yale was able to win two of its matches against the Lions, seeded seventh, to close the tournament with a close 3–2 loss.

    “I think the team played pretty well actually,” Blumenkranz said. “We now know that we have a good shot at beating those teams come Ivy season. We still feel fine despite the losses.”

    Blumenkranz and Kyle Dawson ’14 won their singles matches in straight sets at No. 3 and No. 4. The Elis were unable to win a majority of matches in doubles all weekend.

    Dawson said the sole goal for this year is to win the Ivy League title, adding that the team hopes to accomplish this by working on overall fitness.

    The Bulldogs will take a break this weekend but will host the Yale Round Robin tournament at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center on March 3.

  8. M. TENNIS | Elis notch best record since 2001

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    The men’s tennis team traveled to Virginia last weekend and moved to 4–0 for the season, the team’s best start since 2001. The Elis won big against both William and Mary and Old Dominion 5–2.

    In their first away match of the season Saturday, the Elis faced the Tribe at McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center in Williamsburg, Va. Yale demonstrated strength especially in the doubles, in addition to adding three straight wins in the singles.

    “I thought today’s match was great,” Daniel Hoffman ’13 said. “We came out strong in the doubles, which really set the tone for the rest of the match. I feel like the team has done well so far this season, but we obviously have a lot left to accomplish.”

    Taking the first three matches, Marc Powers ’13, John Huang ’13 and Hoffman started out strong in the singles, and Zach Krumholz ’15 rounded out the 4–2 singles victory.

    Every win against William and Mary came from a non-senior member of the team. Hoffman said the seniors helped younger players such as Krumholz prepare for match.

    “[Krumholz] was very nervous before starting because it was his first match on the road. He approached many members on the team before the match to get advice on how to deal with this type of situation. I think our seniors did a terrific job of getting him and the entire team ready to play,” said Hoffman.

    The Elis took two out of three doubles matches. No. 1 Hoffman and Powers and No. 3 Huang and Patrick Chase ’14 went on a rampage against the Tribe with scores of 8–5 and 8–6 respectively.

    On Sunday, the Elis faced the Monarchs at Norfolk and again came home with a 5–2 victory. In doubles, No. 1 Powers and Hoffman won 8–4, and No.2 Erik Blumenkranz ’12 and Huang won 8–5. In the singles, Powers, Huang, Blumenkranz and Krumholz had a clean sweep and gave the Elis four wins.

    “They were fierce, tough competitors, but I knew that if we played well and competed hard we would have a positive result,” Krumholz said. “Since this was the first spring road trip, we were really excited to continue our winning record away as well as at home with a 4–0 start. We have to keep improving by getting stronger and playing better in order to continue our successful record.”

    Krumholz added that Huang, who went 4–0 for the weekend and led his doubles teams to wins in two tight matches, was “the man of this trip.”

    Head coach Alex Dorato did not respond to a request for comment, but Hoffman told the News that Dorato was very satisfied with the results but is focusing on preparing the team for upcoming matches instead of celebrating the victories.

    “It is always challenging when you aren’t playing at home. It was great to beat a quality team like [William and Mary] at their home courts,” Hoffman said.

    The Elis will travel to Hanover on Feb. 17 for the ECAC Indoor Team Championship.

  9. TENNIS | Bulldogs dominate at home

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    Over the weekend, the men’s tennis team opened up its season with decisive 7-0 victories against Connecticut neighbors Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac. Despite not playing a match since October, the Bulldogs dominated on their home turf in the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center on Sunday.

    “We have been showing strength against the two teams from last season, so I actually expected this win,” said Alex Dorato, head coach of men’s tennis. Team captain Erik Blumenkranz ’12 added that the team was proud of how it played, and Sacred Heart was the perfect opponent to start the spring season.

    Joel Samaha ’12, whom the coach identified as the star of Sunday’s match, said that after a painful season last spring the team was thrilled to win by such large margins on Sunday. The Elis concluded last season with six straight Ivy League losses.

    “Although these matches against Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac are somewhat like scrimmages, it is sometimes nice to see how badly we can beat up an opponent,” Samaha said.

    John Huang ’13, Daniel Hoffman ’13, Samaha, Zach Krumholz ’15, Zach Dean ’13, Daniel Faierman ’15, Marc Powers ’13 and Matt Saiontz ’15 all played singles against the local rivals and took a clean sweep in the matches. Nine different players played in the doubles and conquered their opponets. In No. 1 singles, Blumenkranz and Samaha won 8-3 against Sacred Heart. In the top doubles spot against Quinnipiac, Hoffman and Powers won 8-4.

    Blumenkranz and Samaha said the team has two goals for this season — to take both the Eastern College Athletic Conference and the Ivy League titles.

    “For the last three seasons I was playing, we have never won the ECAC,” Samaha said. “I want to win the titles for ECAC and the Ivies so that I can have something to look back on. We recruited three new freshmen rookies, who have added positive attitude to our team, so now we have more confidence in our plays. Although it sounds like a cliché, we will give our best this season for the title.” Samaha said.

    The men’s tennis will face William & Mary in Virginia on February fourth.

    The No. 35 women’s tennis team also had a successful weekend when it kicked off its ITA play in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Elis held off No.21 Notre Dame with a narrow 4-3 victory and advanced to the championship final for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. Elizabeth Epstein ’13, Hanna Yu ’15 and captain Steph Kent ’12 won in the singles, and the Bulldogs also demonstrated strength in the doubles. Annie Sullivan ’14 and Elizabeth Epstein ’13 won 9-7 and Blair Seidman ’14 and Steph Kent ’12 closed the match with an 8-4 win.

    “It was a big match, and Notre Dame was challenging,” Kent said. “However, we have a strong team, and every player was confident, Moreover…this eight-courted Michigan stadium has such a long history, and our head coach Danielle’s pictures are everywhere in the stadium.”

    Unfortunately, on Sunday, the women’s team lost a close game against No. 10 Michigan. Like the Saturday’s match, the team excelled in doubles. Sullivan and Epstein won 8-6, and Seidman and Kent 9-8(1). However, the Bulldogs, aside from Yu and Kent, did not have much luck in the singles. The women’s team will take on Oklahoma and Arkansas at Arkansas on Feb. 11.

  10. M. TENNIS | Elis dominate state championships

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    The men’s tennis team rounded off the fall season with spectacular victories at the Connecticut State Championships.

    Yale hosted the championships at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center, bringing players from Hartford, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart University, University of Connecticut and Fairfield University.Daniel Hoffman ’13 claimed the singles title, and John Huang ’13 and Joel Samaha ’12 won doubles.

    “We were certainly hoping for this result,” coach Alex Dorato said. “This is the best we’ve ever done [in this tournament].”

    Dorato said he was particularly impressed by the team’s performance against Fairfield, which has very strong players.

    Out of 10singles players for the Bulldogs, seven made it to the quarterfinals, leading to an all-Yale semifinals. Hoffman won the finals after facing teammate Kyle Dawson ’14 to win 3–6, 6–0, 10–2.

    Hoffman said the most exciting moment of the tournament for him actually came in the first match that he played when he had two matchpoints against him from opponent Wei Lin of UConn before winning on a tie-breaker.

    Doubles also saw excellent results despite rearranging usual doubles partners for this tournament. Huang and Samaha defeated Fairfield’s Dan Sauter and Dennis Ziobinsky 8–3.

    Hoffman said that the team’s weaker showing in the regionals earlier this month were partly due to injuries, but he said many players have shown improvement.

    Marc Powers ’13 added that while the team is injury-susceptible, it is deep.

    The team is now examining the implications of the fall season, and specifically this tournament, for the fuller spring season, when several players and Dorato said the Elis hope to take home the Ivy championship.

    “Right now, I think we have as good a chance as any [in the spring Ivy tournament],” Powers said.

    Hoffman added that in his freshman year, he thought that the team came within two points of winning the Ivy Championship, but Yale has not claimed the title since 1993.

    The team will now have a three-month break before an exhibition match on Jan. 16 against Brown. However, Hoffman said the players will continue to practice and stay fit as the team prepares for even higher stakes in the spring season.

    Last year in the Conn.State Championship, the men’s tennis team made it to the semifinals of the singles, where Jordan Abergel ’11 lost to Sacred Heart’s Kirill Kasyanov.

  11. M. TENNIS | “Spotty” performance at regionals

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    All but one Eli was tripped up in the second singles round of the United States Tennis Association Regional Championship.

    While Marc Powers ’13 finished runner-up in the singles competition, and he and Daniel Hoffman ‘13 made it to the semifinals in the doubles draw, another four Elis dropped out in the second round of the tournament held Oct. 13–18 in Ithaca, N.Y. Four players interviewed said the “spotty” results at one of the fall’s most important tournaments would not necessarily indicate how well the team would play this spring in Ivy League competition.

    “[The weekend’s results were] good, but not as good as we need to win the Ivy League,” head coach Alex Dorato said. “But the team showed some great depth.”

    Every member of the team advanced to the second round, whether playing in singles or doubles brackets.

    Powers notched up five straight victories to make it to Tuesday’s final. He fell, however, to St. John’s player Vasko Mladenov 6–1, 4–6, 6–3 in the finals to end the tournament in second place.

    “Marc is playing the best tennis of his career,” Dorato said.

    Powers teamed up with Hoffman in a doubles pair that worked its way through the bracket to Tuesday’s semifinals, when Princeton duo Matt Siow and Matt Spindler ended their run, 9–7. The Princeton pair went on to win the doubles tournament.

    Powers and Hoffman were the only Yale players who managed to pull beyond the second round.

    “To be honest, it was a pretty spotty performance.” Joel Samaha ’12 said.

    He and captain Erik Blumenkranz ‘12 fell out of the doubles bracket after they lost in the second round to Columbia.

    Blumenkranz, Kyle Dawson ’14 and Zachary Krumholz ’15 were also eliminated from the tournament in their second-round singles matches.

    Although most of the Bulldogs did not advance beyond the second round, Hoffman said that the first-round victories indicated that the team’s top six players all had potential to succeed. That depth, Powers said, will translate well into future competitions, particularly during the spring’s Ivy League play.

    “Our depth has been an issue,” Powers said. “But our bottom end is playing very well — freshmen are playing well, seniors are playing well, everybody is really striking the ball solidly.”

    The Bulldogs will be tested again this weekend at the Oct. 28–30 Connecticut State Championship.

    Unlike at the USTA Regional Championships, which only took the team’s top six players, the entire team will take to the courts at the state competition this weekend. As a result, Powers said the tournament is a good opportunity for players who couldn’t play at the regional tournament to get in some match time.

    The experience will help during the spring season, when players need to be “match tough” in case the top players become injured or the team changes its seeding order, Powers added.

    “We hope to be the dominant team at the [state championship],” Dorato said, adding that the team’s results at both the USTA Regional Championships and the Connecticut State Championship would not necessarily indicate anything about the team’s chances of winning in the spring.

    The Connecticut State Championship begins Friday at Yale’s Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center.