Princeton downs ranked opponents

Princeton (5-3) first played No. 42 Clemson (9-6). After losing the doubles point, the Tigers needed to pull out four out of the six singles matchups to claim victory in the match. Led by excellent play from junior No. 1 Peter Capkovic, who routed Clemson’s No. 1 6-1, 6-1, the Tigers clinched the match with some outstanding play from the middle men, particularly freshman No. 5 Ryan Kim. Kim lost the first set but retaliated with a 7-5 win in the second and won the final set with a tiebreak, sealing the deal for the Tigers, who earned a hard-fought 4-3 victory.

“Ryan’s victory was key to our team win,” head coach Glenn Michibata said. “He was down early but fought back and inched his way back in.”

Saturday’s match proved to be a more difficult task, as the Tigers faced Furman (2-8), an unranked but not-to-be-overlooked opponent. The Paladins trounced the Tigers in doubles play, easily winning the point 3-0. No. 1 Capkovic faltered after winning the first set 7-6 and lost the next two sets. Sophomore No. 4 Charlie Brosens suffered a similar fate after winning the first set, ceding another crucial point to Furman, a deficit that the Tigers could not make up in their losing 4-3 effort.

Michibata pinned the loss on his team’s inability to win the doubles point. With junior Alex Vuckovic out due to an injury, the Tigers were forced to alter their doubles strategy.

“This weekend we really were trying to see who clicks with who for a solid doubles combination,” Michibata said. “Winning the doubles point is key so that all we have to do is split the singles to win the match.”

Sunday gave Princeton a fresh start against another formidable opponent, No. 70 Georgia State (1-8). With some motivation from the previous day’s close defeat, the Tigers won the doubles point 2-1 to get off to a good start. The Tigers increased the pressure with a straight-set win from senior No. 6 Jonathan Leslie, who managed not to give up a single game in a 6-0, 6-0 win. No. 4 Kim almost duplicated Leslie’s results with his own 6-1, 6-0 rout. When the dust settled, the only loss for Princeton came from No. 1 Capkovic, giving Princeton a commanding 6-1 victory.

Though tested on Friday and Saturday, Princeton finished the weekend by knocking off its second ranked opponent in three days. After a home match against Stony Brook on Friday, the team will spend its spring break in California with four matches, returning to the East Coast on March 29 for the Ivy League opener against Penn. Playing in Southern California should be a nice change of pace for the team, but it will also be a valuable time to prepare.

“There are some guys who need to confirm how they want to play heading into league play,” Michibata said. “Once we hit Ivy League, we have to be ready.”