With the National Collegiate Athletics Association Tournament on the horizon, Cornell men’s tennis enters the postseason with momentum and a strong resume, highlighted by 10 ranked wins and a 15-7 record. They capped off the regular season the weekend of April 19, grabbing a key win at Dartmouth before falling in a hard-fought match at No. 20 Harvard.
Cornell claimed a 4-2 road victory over No. 73 Dartmouth (13-10, 2-5 Ivy) on April 19, marking its 10th win over a ranked opponent this season and extending its win streak to five matches. The Red solidified themselves as one of the top teams in the Ivy League heading into the postseason.
In singles, senior Nathan Mao quickly made it 2-0 with a commanding performance at No. 5. Senior Adit Sinha, who recently entered the national singles rankings at No. 101, delivered a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 2 to stretch the lead. Dartmouth pulled one back, but senior Radu Papoe secured the win at the top of the lineup.
Doubles play was tightly contested, with Cornell clinching the point thanks to a tiebreak win at the No. 3 spot. Sinha and seniors Jack McCarthy outlasted Dartmouth’s Alex Knox-Jones and Denny Bao, winning the tiebreak, 7-3, to remain undefeated (5-0) in Ivy doubles competition. That effort followed a 6-2 victory from the duo of freshman Rushil Khosla and sophomore Eric Verdes.
Sinha and McCarthy are a new pairing for this season, but have proved to be a formidable team to face off against.
“We’re in the same headspace while playing, and there’s no sort of gaps in communication,” Sinha said. “That’s one of the main reasons why we’ve done so well. Jack’s a great player — he has a huge serve. Meanwhile, I’m better at finishing at the net, so he sets up the point and I’m there to finish it. From a skill standpoint, we’re pretty complementary.”
Cornell’s regular-season finale came Sunday in Cambridge, Massachusetts, against Ivy title contender Harvard, resulting in a tough loss. The Red struck first by capturing the doubles point behind strong performances at the top two positions.
Harvard turned the tide with first-set tiebreak wins at the top of the lineup and closed out straight-set victories at No. 4 and 5. Ranked matchups at No. 1 and 2 ultimately decided the outcome, and Harvard clinched the match, 4-1.
“The next focus is to shift our minds to NCAA because that’s the last tournament we get to play together as a team,” Sinha said. “There [are] five seniors graduating, so it’s our last ride with the team. It’s a bit emotional for us.”
Sinha, now approaching his final moments with the program, said the program has evolved since he arrived at Cornell.
“The culture has really progressed since I’ve been here,” Sinha said. “I hope the principles we laid down — everyone doing their part, going to fitness, pushing each other in practice and the comparative spirit — stay when we go. I’m also hoping that the juniors keep that culture, and the younger guys learn and add their own characteristics so it doesn’t fully diminish.”
Cornell men’s tennis will face the University of Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 11 a.m. EST on Saturday, May 3 in Austin, Texas. If the Red advances, it will play the winner of Texas vs. Montana later that day at 2 p.m.
“Tennis is a really small team compared to other teams,” Sinha said. “We spend a lot of time with each other. I’ve learned how important relationships are, and maintain those relationships. Now that I’ve been here, I would never trade Cornell for another school or any of the experiences I’ve had here. I’ve gotten the closest friends, almost like family here. It’s given me a lot and I hope to give back later.”
