Cornell University announced on Apr. 16 that its men’s tennis team will host two important Ivy League matches this weekend at the Reis Tennis Center. The Big Red, currently ranked No. 31 nationally, are set to face No. 73 Dartmouth on Saturday and No. 41 Harvard on Sunday, with both matches scheduled for 1 p.m.
These matchups are significant as they feature the top four teams in the conference competing for a league title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Cornell holds a strong season record of 15-3, including ranked victories over Louisville, Yale, Penn (twice), Memphis, and Middle Tennessee.
Sophomore Rodrigo Fernandes leads Cornell from the top singles spot with a national ranking of No. 98 and a season record of 20-10. Other notable contributors include Eric Verdes (9-9) and Petar Teodorovic (13-8) in the upper lineup positions, while Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar (21-5), Felipe Pinzon (15-7), and Aman Sharma (10-7) have performed well in lower positions. In doubles play, Senthil Kumar and Rushil Khosla have posted a record of 16-5, while Pinzon and Teodorovic have started their campaign at an impressive 17-3 mark as an NCAA qualifying pair.
Dartmouth arrives with a season record of 15-8 overall and is tied with Cornell at a conference mark of three wins and one loss. The Big Green’s doubles team of Miles Groom and Henry Ren is ranked No. 79 nationally with a record of 17-7 this year; Groom also holds an individual mark of 23-7 playing mainly at second singles under head coach Justin DeSanto.
Harvard enters after notching wins over Michigan State, Purdue, Michigan, Princeton, and Yale twice this season under head coach Andrew Rueb’s leadership as they aim for their league-best thirty-fourth Ivy title. The Crimson roster includes two players ranked inside the national top hundred: Rohan Murali at No.52 with a record of twenty wins against eight losses; Nathan Blokhin is ranked ninety-ninth nationally.
The outcome of these contests could significantly impact which program secures both the Ivy League championship title as well as entry into postseason play.
