The fall season is barely underway, but men’s tennis has already shown flashes of what its new lineup can deliver. Coming off a strong debut at Harvard’s Chowderfest two weeks ago, Cornell carried its momentum to New Haven this past weekend, leaving the Yale Invitational with individual successes and steady veteran play.
Sophomore Rodrigo Fernandes has been the early headline. After chalking up three wins at Chowderfest, Fernandes rolled through three more opponents at the Yale Invitational in straight sets to extend his singles record to 6-0 on the year.
“Rodrigo Fernandes, in some bigger moments stepped up,” said head coach Silviu Tanasoiu, who is in his 14th year leading the program. “He just played with so much intent and so much clarity.”
Fernandes wasn’t the only bright spot for the Red. His junior teammate and doubles partner, Felipe Pinzon, added two doubles victories with Fernandes and clawed past Princeton’s Milan Markovits in singles in three sets. Senior Aman Sharma also impressed, cruising past Yale’s Sawyer Severance in singles before teaming with sophomore Rushil Khosla for a doubles win against Columbia.
When the dust settled, Cornell posted six singles wins and four doubles victories across the three-day event against Ivy League foes Columbia University, Princeton University and Yale University. The results followed an impressive opening weekend at Chowderfest, where the Red tallied 11 singles wins and five doubles victories against a national field that included Boston University, Brown University, the University of Illinois, Southern Methodist University and Yale.
For a program that graduated its most decorated senior class in history last spring, the early signs are encouraging. Tanasoiu’s roster this year blends veteran returners with a talented freshman class, and the results are already starting to show.
One of the newcomers is freshman Nathan Gold.
A three-time undefeated state champion from Colorado, Gold marked his collegiate debut at Chowderfest with two singles wins in three matches. He described the transition to college tennis as both nerve-wracking and energizing.
“I felt nervous but also excited at the same time,” Gold said. “Playing as a team created a supportive and motivating environment on the court, which was much different than junior tournaments. Knowing that my match could contribute to the team's overall results also added pressure. But this pressure pushed me to give my maximum effort.”
Gold said he fed off that pressure, adapting quickly to the intensity of college tennis. The Denver native also praised the squad’s energy.
“One thing I thought went well was how loud we were as a team, and how we uplifted each other constantly throughout the weekend,” Gold said.”
That youthful spark will be essential as the season builds. Alongside Gold, first-years Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar and Jack Casciato round out a group Tanasoiu believes can grow quickly with the help of upper-class leadership.
“The youth, their potential to grow and develop. I’m super excited and very keen about helping out this group,” Tanasoiu said. “It’s a young group of boys that are so dedicated and capable of getting better and improving. I’m genuinely looking forward to that.”
Tanasoiu also emphasized one particular key element he believes will define the squad’s success.
“I think the consistency,” he said. “The consistency in training, so we are adding layers every single day in training.”
Cornell next heads to Penn State for the Holmes Cathrall Memorial Invitational from Oct. 3 to– 5, its final tune-up before Regionals and the Ivy League Tournament. With Fernandes unbeaten, veterans steadying the lineup, and freshmen settling into college tennis, the Red has given itself plenty to build on this fall.
Austin Curtis is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at arc352@cornell.edu.
Austin Curtis is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a Sun Staff Writer and can be reached at acurtis@cornellsun.com.
